Sublocal Elections Nominations Open Dec 11

SEIU 503 is a democratic, member-run union. Every two years, we elect more than 700 leaders to a variety of positions, such as the Board of Directors, sublocal representatives, and statewide officers. The people in these roles will shape the work of our Union over the next two years as we bargain strong contracts, represent workers, and grow.

Running for office and voting in Union elections is the best way that you can shape the course of our Union. Your voice matters. Add it to the conversation.

Nominations open on December 11th. Click here to find more information, including the voting timeline and voting information for your sub-local.

Attend the Sublocal Representative Primer, Jan 6

Are you interested in taking on a leadership role at our Union, but don’t know where to start?  

Sublocal union elections are your opportunity to run for one of these offices. Attend one of our trainings to help demystify the elections process, ask questions, hear about how to nominate yourself or another member, learn rules around campaigning, and what the leadership roles entail once elected.

Choose either Thursday, December 14th or Saturday, January 6th. Both dates will be held over Zoom.

Virtual ODDS Listening Sessions

The Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) will collect input from direct support professionals (DSPs), personal support workers (PSWs) and employment specialists about what you need to be more effective at your job. In contract negotiations, we won agreement that the State would focus on issues of recruitment and retention; these listening sessions are an opportunity for union providers to share our experiences and suggestions.

You’ll be asked to share what you love about your job, challenges, what would help you be more effective at work, what you want from your career, and ideas for increasing capacity to deliver services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

ODDS is hosting six one-hour virtual brainstorming sessions to collect your ideas and feedback.

You can sign up for one of the sessions listed below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about how to join the Zoom meeting.

• Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 9:30 a.m. (PSWs): Register here.
• Wednesday Dec. 13, at 3 p.m. (DSPs):  Register here.
• Thursday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. (DSPs, PSWs, and employment specialists): Register here.

Live captioning, American Sign Language interpretation and Spanish interpretation will be provided. If you have other accommodation needs, please send those to employment.first@odhsoha.oregon.gov at least 48 hours in advance.

It’s Almost Tax Time Again

Tax season is just around the corner and the state will begin mailing out W-2 forms in January. To ensure you receive yours in a timely manner, verify your mailing address with your employer (ODHS) as soon as possible so there are no delays in getting your tax documents.

Don’t Forget Your 2023 Political Tax Credit! CAPE is our union’s political action committee that helps elect pro-worker champions to office; from local government to federal positions. Thousands of working people like us giving $8 or $10 each month to CAPE is our only way to compete against corporations and billionaires trying to buy elections. And there’s help for many of us in the Oregon Political Tax Credit!

Eligible Oregonians can get a $50 tax credit ($100 for couples filing jointly) if you donate to a qualified political group, including CAPE. You’re eligible if: (1) You’re an Oregon resident; (2) You will submit an Oregon tax return for 2022; and (3) You make less than $75,000 (individual) or $150,000 (couple filing jointly).

This tax credit only applies to contributions made in 2023, so make sure to use yours before it expires. Join CAPE Today!

Elevate: The OHCC newsletter

Find the courses you need to complete assessment and advance your caregiving skills.

Being a home care worker, personal support worker or personal care attendant is a valued profession; training is important to career development and advancement. The Oregon Home Care Commission (OHCC) publishes its Elevate newsletter, which includes full course descriptions and the current course schedule, including the date, time and locations of trainings. Elevate is published every other month. Check it out here!

Around Our Union – News Happening in Other Sectors

Support SEIU 503 Higher Ed Workers! While our homecare and state worker SEIU members fought for and won historic contracts over the last few months, our union siblings working at Oregon’s public universities are struggling to win a fair contract. Management’s current offer to 4,500 Higher Education workers is far below inflation, which means they are asking us to take a pay cut. And it’s not just the COLAs that are unacceptable. We are still far apart from management after our last bargaining session.

So, please sign the community support petition, share it with your friends and coworkers, and post it on social media. We need to make sure that our union siblings win the contract we deserve. ​​​​​

SEIU is creating a Values Statement for our union!

This new Values Statement will act as a compass – steering our efforts in organizing new workers, fighting for fair contracts, building a more just, humane society, and championing unions for all. To build the most robust Values Statement possible, we are seeking input from members – coast to coast – on what values they associate with the union, and which values we should hold ourselves accountable to. And the top three members who get the most surveys filled out get a STORY FEATURE on SEIU’s TikTok and STAR in the VALUES Video! Take the survey today!