July 28

Cast Your E-Ballot on the Proposed Contract

Voting is now open! This Monday, State members received their electronic ballots through email, and the votes are coming in. Voting to ratify a contract is one of the single most impactful actions you can take as a union member, and it only happens once every two years. A contract like this, with historic COLA wins, a $1,500 bonus payment, and more, will be life-changing for thousands of State workers. Now, you have a chance to put this contract into effect. Make your voice heard and cast your vote today!

Can’t find your ballot in your email? Call our Member Assistance Center at 1-844-503-7348.

Know a co-worker who wants to vote but isn’t a member? Share this link to ask them to join so they can make their voice heard, too!

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Allyse Lee Shares Why She’s Voting Yes on the Tentative Agreement

The votes are coming in, and many members are excited to cast their ballots in favor of the Tentative Agreement. Allyse Lee from DHS Salem recently shared the following:

“State workers have been in crisis with understaffing, massive workloads and wages not matching inflation. Our bargaining team with the collective action of members in our union fought hard to get us the best possible TA – and for the wins it gets us, I voted yes.” Read more of Allyse’s thoughts on the TA, on our website.

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Are You Getting Our Texts?

When there is timely information to share, union organizers and member leaders will sometimes reach out to members like you through text messages. If you are not subscribed to our texts, you’ll miss out on notifications about meetings, news about your new contract, benefits and more. Make sure you are subscribed by completing this form.

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Help Slash Carbon Pollution!

Power plants are responsible for about 25% of the climate pollution that harms the health of our families, clogs the air with smog, and results in extremely hot summers and dangerous floods, hurricanes, fires, and droughts. The Biden Administration’s EPA has proposed a plan that will slash carbon pollution generated by these plants by 617 million metric tons by 2042–as much as taking 134 million cars off the road! The rule faces stiff opposition from corporate polluters who do not care that climate change is disproportionately harming black and brown communities. Please click here to submit official comments to the EPA on their proposed rule to cut climate pollution from power plants and make your voice heard!

 

July 6

Central Table Bargaining Update

We’re excited to announce that after seventeen hours at the bargaining table yesterday – in addition to the dozens of hours of marathon bargaining last week – our Central Table Bargaining Team has reached a Tentative Agreement!

This victory was hard won by the bargaining team and all of us who took action during this campaign by purpling up, coming to rallies and informational pickets, sending emails to decision-makers, and signing strike pledges. Our union actions made a difference in the bargaining team’s efforts to come to agreement on a settlement that includes the best COLAs our union has seen in decades, as well as a one-time payment of $1,500 (paid in September so workers can start to see relief from inflation as soon as possible). This agreement also maintains our steps and health insurance, improves workers’ ability to use our contract to address workplace discrimination, strengthen our union, and much more.

While we didn’t agree to management’s proposal to transition to biweekly pay, we did agree to form a committee of union members and management that will look at the potential impact of biweekly pay on workers and on our union contract.

Be sure to share the good news with your co-workers; if they’re not union members, encourage them to join!

These wins happen because of member participation. When we work together, everything is possible! Here is an overview of the Tentative Agreement:

NEW Contract Highlights

Economic Justice

• All State workers will receive a cost-of-living adjustment of 6.5% on 12/1/23 and 6.55% on 1/1/25 or 2/1/25 (depending on whether additional funding is allocated by the legislature).
• A one-time payment of $1,500—included as wages—on our September 1, 2023 paycheck (for employees employed as of 7/1/23 and still employed 8/24/23).
• Step increases for both years of the contract.
• No state worker will be paid less than $21.06 per hour after April 2024.
• Maintain current contract language on Health Insurance (1% and 5% premium shares depending on plan).
• Maintain current monthly pay system (no bi-weekly pay) with a joint labor-management committee to consider impacts of a potential transition to biweekly pay.

Safe & Equitable Workplaces

• ​​​​​​Improved ability to use grievance procedure to address workplace discrimination/harassment and expanded ability to have stewards represent us while dealing with discrimination and harassment issues.
• Improved  access for critical incident leave.
• Leave for the entire day—instead of half of the day—for Inclement Weather and Hazardous Conditions closures and inaccessible worksites. Essential workers may use paid leave during inclement weather and hazardous conditions closures. [Note: a previous version of this document said essential workers have access to the inclement weather hazardous conditions leave bank. This is inaccurate.]
• Increased telecommuting rights that will allow temporary modifications to remote work assignments, and requirements for management to perform specific assessment of remote work suitability when considering requests to work remotely.
• Clarified in our contract that we can use sick leave for preventative, wellness, and mental health care, as long this care is covered in our benefit package.

Sustainable Workloads

• Sick leave will now be included as time worked for overtime calculation purposes.
• Minimum pay of 1-hour for remote workers who perform work while on call without having to report to a physical worksite.
• Joint labor-management committee to examine and discuss data on agency recruitment, retention, and vacancy rates.
• Full holiday pay for workers even if they take leave without pay during that month.
• Access to vacation leave for workers who are in their first 6 months of employment.

A Strong Union

• Better access to our Union organizers while we’re on the job.
• Requirements for all agencies to hold New Employee Orientations with presentations from a Union representative within 30-days of hire.

And, much more!

What’s the next step? The agreement is tentative until members vote to ratify the contract. We will have updates in the coming week about the ratification timeframe and process. The contract will not go into effect until members vote to ratify. Please note, only members of the Union are allowed to vote. If you are not a member, you should join the union and then you can participate.

July 1

Central Table Bargaining Update

We are not quite there yet—despite three days of marathon bargaining this week, including until almost midnight on Friday, management hasn’t put an offer on the table that our bargaining team can accept and recommend to members.

It does appear, though, that management is continuing to make movement in our direction, and we have agreed to extend our current contract to Wednesday, July 5. We will meet again on that day to resume negotiations.

Here’s where things stand right now:

• The state is continuing to propose 13.05% COLAs over two years, while our team is proposing 15%. We have not yet seen movement from the state on our proposal for a one-time bonus.
• We have agreement on several big economic items, including maintaining status quo on our health care, keeping our step increases, and raising the wage floor in our contract.
• The state continues to propose to move to bi-weekly pay and we continue to say no and without resolution we can’t settle.
• We are also still going back and forth on how to make sure our contract takes on the issue of discrimination and harassment in the contract.
• We continue to propose salary range increases for TMS classifications and other classifications that participated in salary selective presentations or went through class studies.

Because we know that State workers need money now, we are bargaining as hard as possible to get every dollar in the pockets of members while we manage the budget passed by the legislature.

Over and over again, we have seen that when workers take action together, management responds at the bargaining table. Here’s what you can do right now to push management to settle this contract:

• Email Governor Kotek to tell her State workers can’t wait any longer for a fair contract.
• Sign the strike pledge and ask your coworkers to sign too.
• If you’re not a member of our union, show management that you’re standing with your coworkers to win a great contract by joining today!

June 29

Central Table Bargaining Update

SEIU 503 members continue to purple up, show up and speak up for a great contract. At more than 70 worksites in 35 cities across Oregon, hundreds of us turned out to “Picket to Win It” to show management that we are serious about winning a great contract!

Our efforts are working. Because so many of us took action together yesterday, management made real movement at the bargaining table. Management increased their COLA proposals to 6.5% on December 1 of 2023, and another 6.55% on December 1 of 2024. Management also finally responded to members’ selective salary increase presentations. (We will be reaching out to members who gave presentations to ask for feedback on management’s responses.)

Thank you for giving us your thoughts on the biweekly pay survey! Our bargaining team reviewed the results and shared with management that union members overall do not support moving to an every-other-week pay schedule and we do not want to see it in our contract. We also continue to make the case to management that remote work needs to be dealt with equitably across state agencies.

Our contract expires tomorrow, and we are bargaining again with the state all day today and tomorrow to push management to agree to a fair contract. Thanks to members’ actions, we are making huge progress, and our bargaining team is committed to bargaining as long as needed to win the contract that includes our union priorities: economic justice, safe and equitable workplaces, sustainable workloads, and maintaining our strong union.

Let’s keep the momentum going! Today is a digital day of action and we invite you to take part by emailing the Governor, posting on social media with our hashtags and downloading our bargaining virtual background. Here’s our digital action toolkit.

Check out this video of your co-workers at Picket to Win It events across the state yesterday! Trouble viewing? Click here.

June 22

Central Table Bargaining Update

On June 21, our Central Table bargaining team delivered our response to management’s economic proposal they presented on June 14. Because we saw some movement from management last week, we countered their offer with a 9.5% COLA on July 1, 2023 and a 7.5% COLA on July 1, 2024. Despite management’s initial rejection, we are continuing to propose the $1/hour differential for staff who do not have the option to telecommute, as well as many other differential improvements. We will also continue to push language to give employees dealing with crushing workloads caused by agency vacancies a special differential and protection against unfair discipline.

Additionally, we also asked management to withdraw their proposal to move to an every-other-week pay system. (We want to know your thoughts on switching to biweekly pay.)

We continue to propose that workers who receive partial or late paychecks would receive penalty pay.

We agreed to a proposal on removing bottom steps for all classifications on Salary Range 21 and below and getting rid of steps from certain other classifications. When this goes into effect in April 2024, thousands of workers—including seasonal staff and other low wage employees —will see a pay increase. Overall, we estimate this will have a positive impact on more than 200 classifications.

We have not yet received a response on our salary selectives.

Our purpling up, taking unity breaks and showing up in big numbers at union events statewide are having an impact! Sign up to Picket to Win It at a site near you on Wednesday, June 28th! Most of these will happen during the lunch hour (12pm–1pm). Join your coworkers to show management that #WeMakeOregonWork.

June 15

Central Table Bargaining Update

Because we’ve been signing our strike pledges, purpling up in our worksites, and because more than 1,500 of us showed up last week at our rally in Salem, we have finally seen some real movement from management in their economic proposals.

This Wednesday, management proposed a package that included COLAs of 5.1% on September 1, 2023, and another 5.1% on September 1, 2024. They also proposed several improvements to differentials including increasing the Essential Worker Inclement Weather/Hazardous Conditions pay differential to $3 per hour and expanding it to anyone who has to work in person during these events (including ODOT coalition workers). In this package they continue to propose moving to a biweekly pay schedule, which management claims will help resolve many of the issues related to Workday.

In addition to receiving this package from management, our team also made proposals dealing with one of our main priorities in these negotiations: safe and equitable workplaces. We are continuing to propose that workers who experience discrimination or harassment on the job can address those issues using our grievance procedure. We’re also proposing the creation of a joint labor-management committee that can review hiring, promotion, and disciplines—as well as discrimination complaints—to look for patterns of bias and make recommendations for solutions.

While it is true that the actions we’ve taken together as workers (such as the strike pledge and our June 8 rally) have started to have real impact in these negotiations, the proposals we’re seeing from management are still not where they need to be to address members’ priorities: economic justice, equitable and safe workplaces, sustainable workloads, and keeping our union strong.

We need to keep the pressure on. This is why workers across the state are organizing informational pickets at their worksites on June 28th. We need as many of us as possible helping to organize these—sign up for a picket captain training today to learn how to have an informational picket where you work. And, if you haven’t already, please sign our strike pledge to help show management we are serious about winning a contract state workers deserve.

 

May 27

Central Table Update
We met with state management this week and were presented with a number of counterproposals. While we saw some progress in certain areas, management is still either rejecting or failing to respond to our priority issues. For instance, they continue to reject our proposal to allow workers who experience discrimination at work to have their grievances heard by a neutral, third-party arbitrator, and they are asking us to withdraw our proposal to create a labor-management committee that can investigate complaints of harassment or discrimination at work. They still have not given us a new proposal on cost-of living adjustments.

There were a few improvements in their proposals, including: Paid leave around inclement weather: Allowing employees to use inclement weather leave for a full day, and eliminating the requirement that essential employees must use leave without pay when unable to get to work.

Remote work: We are making incremental progress to language temporarily modifying remote work agreements.

We are pushing back on a couple of proposals around holiday and vacation leave: Management rejected our proposal to add Indigenous People’s Day as a holiday. They also rejected increases to vacation leave or adding an additional tier for employees who have worked at the state for 30 years or more. (We are, however, making progress on removing prorated holiday pay for workers on leave without pay status during the month and adding language workers on trial service to use vacation time.)

On the Roadshow Again!
Next week, the Central Table Bargaining team will hit the road to talk to workers across Oregon to share updates about bargaining and how you can get more involved! The team will host a series of lunch meetings, break room visits and site meetings to engage members from nearly every county in the state! While they’re unable to visit every worksite (and we know many people are working virtually), the team will hold three virtual roadshow meetings on June 3 at 10am and 12pm and on June 4 at 2pm. Stay tuned for an email to register for those sessions in the next few days.

June 8 Rally
Have you RSVP’d for the rally yet? State workers from across Oregon are rallying on June 8 at the State Capitol because we know that showing our solidarity and member power increases our strength at the bargaining table. Management‘s offers are not good enough. State workers deserve better so let’s let Management hear it! RSVP NOW!

NEW Report!
SEIU 503 Releases Report on State Workforce Crisis: This week, our union released a report on the workforce crisis our members experience every day. The report found there are nearly 9,000 unfilled positions across our state government, contributing to heavy workloads for state workers, and high turnover rates across agencies, caused by low pay and worker burnout.

Republican Walkout
Walkout Continues at the Oregon Legislature: For more than three weeks, Republican Senators (and a Republican turned Independent) have refused to go to work and blocked any bills from advancing in the Senate – including the state budget with funding for our agencies and bargaining. These lawmakers are still collecting paychecks funded by Oregon taxpayers. We know that when working people don’t show up to work, they certainly don’t get paid, and they might even lose their job. SEIU members worked through a pandemic, wildfires, historic ice storms, and more – and we need these Senators to come back to pass legislation that is critical to SEIU members and all Oregonians. Do your part by telling them to get back to work today!

 

May 12

Central Table Bargaining Update

Thanks to the worksite actions union members have been taking across the state, we finally began to see some progress this week from management at the bargaining table. While we still haven’t gotten satisfactory responses from management on our core bargaining priorities (economic justice, equitable and safe workplaces, sustainable workloads, and maintaining our union’s strength), we were able to come to an agreement on the following issues:

Article 101, Safety and Health – Agencies must maintain an internal complaint procedure that includes an escalation process. The procedure will be included in the new employee onboarding.

Article 61, Leaves Without Pay – We made improvements in the language to be consistent across all agencies. Currently, the pre-dismissal process starts when an employee is a “no call, no show” for five consecutive days, however, if an employee can subsequently show extenuating circumstances, the absence shall be covered.

Article 65, Search and Rescue – Employees shall be granted disaster relief paid leave when working search and rescue operations.

Article 106, Labor and Management Committees – We strengthened language that LMCs will be established when requested by the Union and may establish joint subcommittee LMCs that make sense for the agencies (such as District, Region, Division, etc.).

Article 14, Negotiation Procedures – Bargaining delegates who participate in coalitions will now get paid time if negotiating or traveling during their scheduled shifts as well as one hour of paid time for a work session each scheduled bargaining day.

Article 45T, Filling of Vacancies (Temps) – Temporary employees will now be allowed to modify their work schedule to attend interviews for permanent or LD positions within the agency or state.

Article 70, Layoff – When the Employer feels a layoff is necessary, they will meet with the Union to determine if there are other opportunities, such as other job opportunities in the state, rotations, etc.

ADA LOA – Strengthened timeline language and added that if the agency doesn’t adhere to the timelines, the employee may file a grievance. Employees shall also now receive a written response for the reasons of denial.

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Senate Walkout Jeopardizes SEIU 503 Priority Bills

A group of Oregon Senators began a walkout over a week ago, denying quorum and bringing the legislative session to a grinding halt. This stalls our union’s priority bills and legislation Oregonians are depending on for things like housing, behavioral health, and education. Oregon voters have been clear: They DO NOT support walkouts. Oregonians want legislators to get back to work and do their jobs. That’s why 34 out of 36 counties voted to pass Measure 113, opposing walkouts, last year. This makes it extra important for you to show up in Salem for our rally on June 8th to make sure lawmakers are doing their jobs and funding state services. Register today!



Photo Description: SEIU 503 members and allies in Bend demanding that Senators show up to work

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Workday Update

Earlier this week, the state emailed workers to notify them of two recently discovered Workday payroll errors:

• Workday is not withholding enough income tax from some employees who are paid more than once per month.
• Workday is not using the correct calculation (neither what has been communicated nor what is in the collective bargaining agreement) to determine worker overtime rates.

Our Union has been telling them that these are problems impacting workers for months. We have consistently raised concerns about the accuracy of overtime rates and income tax withholdings and, until now, we have not received any acknowledgement from them that this really is a problem. It is unacceptable that management is six months into a payroll change process and only now recognizing these issues that have we have brought to their attention over and over and over again.

It’s clear – The state is not taking this seriously enough and while we have filed grievances, made demands to bargain, and raised concerns they are not acting with the urgency workers need.

State leaders need to hear from workers directly about the impacts these payroll issues are having on our lives, the lives of our coworkers, and the lives of our families.

Have Workday issues affected you? Share your story with the DAS Director and the Governor today.

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Purple up Wednesdays!

Let’s show management we are standing united to win our bargaining demands by purpling up in the workplace (or our virtual meeting backgrounds!) every Wednesday! Sporting our union colors is a great way to show state management that, in every office and in every community, SEIU members are united and ready to do what it takes to win the contract we deserve. Talk to your coworkers and remind them to wear SEIU gear or other purple clothing every Wednesday. If you need purple gear for your office, contact your organizer. And, when you and your coworkers show up in purple, gather them for a photo and send it to photos@seiu503.org.

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SEIU 503 Celebrates Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and our SEIU 503 Asian Desi Pacific Islander Caucus produced this statement outlining this year’s goals and their experiences as union and community members. Stay tuned for events and information as we celebrate all month long! ​​​​​​

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Our Billboards and Staffing Crisis Website are Up!

If you are planning to drive into Salem from I-5 south or north, take a brief moment (but not too long if you’re behind the wheel) to look at billboards highlighting Oregon state workers and our bargaining campaign! Additionally, our new website that focuses on our 2023 We Make Oregon Work priorities is live – we are encouraging members of the public to tell us how our state’s worker crisis is affecting their ability to get services in a timely manner. Check it out online.

April 28

Central Table Bargaining Update

April 14

State Employees will Rally at the Capitol on June 8th!

Join us at the Oregon Capitol to rally on June 8th to fight for real wage increases, workplace safety, manageable workloads, and to end the State workforce crisis! Over 10,000 of us signed the petition, now it’s time to show up in person to send management a message that a Cost-of-Living Adjustment less than inflation is not acceptable. RSVP today!

Central Table Update

Our central table team met with state management both last week and this week. At this session, the state responded to our proposal to raise the minimum pay in our contract to $22/hour by giving us a proposal that would bring up the wage floor to $19.62 by the end of the contract. While this is a step towards our proposal, it doesn’t go far enough and it only addresses recruitment problems, not retention. Management also offered a package proposal with six contract changes, most of which were changes in state management’s favor.

Our team gave the state proposals that require them to produce the biannual salary and benefit report by October of the year before we bargain our contract. Our proposal would also give our union the ability to review comparison data and have input into how the state conducts the market analysis. Additionally, we passed a proposal to move all language in the contract related to CDLs into one article so they are easy to find.

We rejected management’s proposal to cut internal job posting requirements from 10 business days to five calendar days. Instead, our team is proposing to maintain our current contract language of 10 business days.

 

March 17

Central Table Update

As we shared on Thursday, we had a big day at the bargaining table this week. Management finally presented us with their opening economic offer: a 4.4% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in December of this year and a 2.3% COLA in December 2024. They also proposed moving to a biweekly pay schedule. They have not given us any responses to our proposals for longevity pay, raising the pay floor to $22/hour by the end of the contract, or any of our differential improvement proposals.

Our Central Table team passed a number of proposals to the state, including ones dealing with safe and equitable workplaces. These proposals would improve remote work language; allow workers to use up to three days of ‘critical incident leave’ (for employees who experience direct threats or trauma on the job); add preventative care leave. In addition, we gave management a proposal that would create a labor/management taskforce that can investigate claims of harassment and discrimination. We also passed a sustainable workloads proposal, which would create a paid differential for those with extremely high workloads and would restrict management’s ability to discipline these workers for performance-related reasons.

In all, we passed 33 proposals this week to make our workplaces safer and more equitable, and to address the overwhelming workloads so many of us experience.

Have you signed the petition yet? Our union’s power at the bargaining table and our ability to win strong contracts comes from workers taking action together. If the state doesn’t see that we are united and ready to do whatever it takes to win a great contract this year, they won’t have a reason to offer us a better deal. Sign the bargaining petition now to who the state we are united and ready to fight for a great contract!

Workday Payroll Update

Ever since the state transitioned to Workday and began having issues with payroll, our Union has worked diligently to address the many problems with the system. Our collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the state requires them to pay workers on time and correctly, yet the issues with Workday continue pay period after pay period. And members are being grossly affected by the payroll errors: workers whose paychecks have been shorted, been stuck with overdue bills, had vehicles repossessed and have lost their housing.

SEIU 503 has filed four group grievances against the state over violations of our CBA and will continue to do so after every pay period if problems persist. While these grievances will take a few weeks or months to resolve, we are confident that our efforts will force the state to make members whole.

Additionally, our bargaining team is proposing new contract language that would make the state pay substantial penalties to workers affected by payroll errors. If you have been affected by the Workday issues and have not yet submitted your information, please fill in this form. We will continue to keep you updated as this issue progresses.

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Become a CAT!

CAT members organize their co-workers to get involved in the fight for a good contract and help identify and organize around issues at work. The more CATs, the meow-ier! Interested? Fill out this form.

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Share Your Story

As we meet at the bargaining tables and work with the state legislature to pass important bills this session, it’s critical to share member stories so decision makers understand the impact these measures have on people’s lives. Your story is powerful, and we want to hear from you. Tell us how inflation, your workload and your day-to-day life are affected by today’s economic conditions by sharing your story or joining us for a storytelling training!

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Education Justice Event: Register Today!

As essential workers who serve our communities, we do important jobs: we educate our children and students and provide so many other services to make our communities safe and healthy. So why are our wages so low, and our schools, universities, and child care programs so underfunded?

On Saturday, March 18th, at 9am PST / 11am Central / 12pm EST, joined by Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA), hundreds of SEIU education and care workers across the nation will come together to speak loudly, with one voice, our demands for fully-funded, accessible and equitable education and care system, from birth to career – because this is what our kids and families need. Register now for this event.

March 3

Central Table Update

On February 22 and March 1, our SEIU 503 Central Table Bargaining Team met with management to continue making our initial proposals to the state.

In these sessions, we gave management the rest of our proposals for economic justice. With so many state workers continuing to receive incorrect paychecks due to the Workday debacle, our union team proposed that the state be required to issue penalty pay for underpayments, cover actual costs incurred by workers for those underpayments, and create strict timelines for the state to repay wages owed to employees. We also proposed differential increases including improvements to the multilingual differential and a way for workers with bilingual skills to request to receive a differential for those.

We also passed the state proposals for union strength to keep our union strong and able to bargain from a position of power. These proposals would give workers better access to their union representatives, improve new employee orientations, increase paid steward training time, and more.

The state gave us several proposals which mostly dealt with small, housekeeping items. They also passed a proposal to make it easier for management to contract out the work of SEIU members. The state hasn’t yet responded to our economic proposals.

Our power at the bargaining table comes from workers taking action together. Sign the bargaining petition today to show the state that we are united and ready to fight for a great contract!

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Bargaining Petition

People who work for the State care for those who need it most, but the State isn’t taking care of us. Many of us live paycheck-to-paycheck, with unmanageable workloads, and in unsafe workplaces. Right now, our union is fighting for livable wages, sustainable workloads and much more in our next contract, but we can’t win unless we each do our part. When the thousands of State workers come together in union, our power is enormous. Sign this petition to demand the State to pay us what we’re worth, because we make Oregon work! Sign the Petition

State Payroll Issue Update

It is clear from February paychecks that State agencies are continuing to struggle with their transition to Workday. Each pay period brings yet another set of issues compounded by old issues that have still not been resolved. This is unacceptable.

Our Union has filed two grievances over the Workday transition thus far and will continue to hold the State accountable to the language they agreed to in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The State has communicated that they will respond formally to these grievances shortly. (We look forward to that moment and will update affected workers as soon as possible.)

If your pay was affected by this process, please share your experience with us, so we know to keep you updated. Workday Payroll Issue Tracker.

Not only are we addressing these issues through our grievances, but your elected union bargaining team is also proposing new contract language that better protects workers from pay mistakes. Collective bargaining is our opportunity to address issues like this and much more.

Our Union is also coordinating with the law firms that have sued the State on behalf of an affected State worker. They are currently collecting information from other State employees whose paychecks contained errors to find out how widespread the problem is, and to prepare for a possible class action lawsuit. We encourage you to share your experience with them at this form.

If you are struggling with an economic hardship from a payroll error, please reach out directly to your organizer or our Member Assistance Center at 1-844-503-SEIU (7348) or by email at contact@seiu503.org.

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Women’s History Month

March is Women’s History Month. Our union is 70% women and many of our leadership positions are held by women. We’ll be celebrating the contributions of women throughout the month, so stay tuned! You can read Executive Director Melissa Unger and President Mike Powers’ statement here.​​​​​​

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Register Today: Climate, Jobs, Justice!

Join SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry and Executive Vice President Rocio Saenz for SEIU’s third annual Climate, Jobs, and Justice Summit on Saturday, April 15th, 2023, 9-11 am via Zoom. Hear from experts on climate and environmental justice and distinguished guests. Learn about SEIU’s national climate program and the exciting work of our locals as we fight for climate, jobs, and justice. Back by popular demand, we have set aside time following the program for virtual networking tables. Connect with other members on climate and environmental justice work! Register here.

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Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB)’s March Webinars

PEBB offers a variety of webinars on so many different health and educational topics, including learning more about your state benefits, how to quit smoking, dealing with stress, real estate and mortgage updates, how to manage your finances, and much more. Check out PEBB’s offerings for this month by clicking here.

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Columbia Store Discount Valid Now

As winter attempts to thaw (despite that dang groundhog), the Columbia Store is offering discounts on its brand of clothing for SEIU 503 members and up to four additional guests. Valid in-store only, you can take advantage of this discount by showing the digital or printed image below with proof of your union membership. The sale is good through March 26, 2023.

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February 10, 2023

We are on our way! Our 1st Bargaining Update of the Campaign:

On Wednesday, February 8th, our SEIU 503 central table bargaining team met with the state to deliver an opening statement and pass our initial economic proposals. (Most coalition bargaining delegates were also able to attend virtually as observers.) In our statement, led by our central table co-chairs Ibrahim Coulibaly and Austin Folnagy, and 503’s executive director, Melissa Unger, we began to lay out the case for why our upcoming union contract must reflect our union’s bargaining priorities: economic justice, safe and equitable workplaces, sustainable workloads, and union security.

The opening economic proposal we gave the state includes: 

• 11% Cost-of-living adjustment effective July 1, 2023
• 9% Cost-of-living adjustment effective July 1, 2024
• No state worker is paid less than $22 an hour by the end of the contract
• State pays our entire health insurance premium
• $1 per hour differential for all in-person work
• Longevity differentials for long-term employees
• Adding Indigenous People’s Day as a paid holiday
• Paid Leave Oregon premium fully paid by the state
• Increasing vacation accruals

See the opening statement slide deck.

This is just the beginning of our negotiations, and we have a long way before our contract expires on June 30. In the coming weeks, our central table team will continue to review the thousands of survey responses members returned and will be making additional proposals to the state that deal with our non-economic bargaining priorities. Our coalition bargaining tables have begun meeting this week (ODOT on Feb. 9th, Institutions Feb. 14th, and Human Services and Specials Feb. 16th).​​​

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Bargaining Conference

Last week, bargaining delegates from state agencies and higher education institutions gathered at the 2023 Bargaining Conference which marks the official kick-off of the fight to win great new contracts. As part of the conference, member leaders who were able to stick around another day participated in Monday’s Lobby Day event to meet with their state elected representatives at the Capitol in Salem. They emphasized the importance of passing a budget and legislation that helps workers win a great contract this year.

During the event, the central table bargaining team shared the priorities that will guide our negotiations for our next state worker contract. It was also a time to come together and talk about how these priorities impact the daily lives of state workers. State worker Noelle (ODHS), shares her story and the concerns she wants to address in bargaining.

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Building Power to Win a Great Contract

The kind of contract we get in bargaining comes down to power, and our power as a union comes from taking action together as workers. Sign our bargaining petition to show the state that we are unified in full support of our union’s bargaining priorities and willing to do whatever it takes to win a great contract.

Haven’t signed the petition yet? It takes just seconds – sign now. If you have coworkers who haven’t signed it yet, encourage them to do so today.

Unions build power in membership numbers and the more powerful we are, the greater the contracts we can bargain. Not a member yet? Join today!

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Share Your Story with SEIU 503

As we meet at the bargaining tables and work with the state legislature to pass important bills this session, it’s critical to share member stories so decision makers understand the impact these measures have on people’s lives. Your story is powerful, and we want to hear from you. Tell us how inflation, your workload and your day-to-day life are affected by today’s economic conditions.​​​​

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Black History Month Events

Join SEIU 503’s AFRAM Caucus for a conversation tonight about overcoming anti-Blackness. Tune in to listen to AFRAM leaders Carol Kelly and Glendora Claybrooks discuss their experiences with colleague Ibrahim Coulibaly. The event begins at 5:30 – register now to join!

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Big Win for Our Portland Union Siblings

Congratulations to LiUna Local 483 – Portland workers went on strike last Thursday and won at the bargaining table. The power of unions cannot be underestimated. Read more. #UnionStrong #UnionsforAll

January 27, 2023

Negotiations are Kicking Off!

On February 8, our  SEIU Central Table Bargaining Team will meet with the state for the first full negotiation session. At this meeting, our negotiating team will deliver the demands that union members have for our new contract: economic justice, safe and equitable workplaces, sustainable workloads, and equity in remote work. Our Coalition bargaining teams will begin meeting with the state in mid-February.

To win, we need to build union power at every worksite and state agency. Building a strong Contract Action Team (CAT) of members who can keep coworkers updated on bargaining and involved in actions to show the state we’re serious about winning a great contract this year.

If you are interested in becoming a CAT for your workgroup, click this link so a union organizer can get in touch with you.

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State Pay Issue Update

State workers continue to experience paycheck issues, whether being underpaid or overpaid. Because this situation is changing so rapidly and we want to provide you with the most current information on the grievance we have filed, we are posting updates on our website at this link. In the meantime, if you have been affected by the state’s changeover to a new payroll system, please let us know by taking a minute to fill in this form.

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 Apply to be in the Member Leader Development Program!

The Member Leader Development Program (MLDP) was created to bring members into the heart of SEIU operations and provide training and resources to be leaders in their local Unions. This program runs for a minimum of 8 weeks and includes a variety of public sector workers each session. Each session is referred to commonly as a “Wave”. The Wave we are currently recruiting for will focus on increasing our Union’s power as we prepare for our next bargaining cycle.

Anyone who works for a State Agency (ODE, DHS, ODOT, etc) can join the program! All you have to do is apply to the program, be accepted, and approved by your employer. Apply now or share this email with an eligible public sector member.

APPLY NOW: Deadline is February 6, 2023 (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until that date).

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Lunar New Year’s Event in Portland Tomorrow!

Our Asian Desi Pacific Islander (ADPI) Caucus is hosting an in-person Lunar New Year celebration tomorrow, Saturday, January 28th, from 2 to 4 p.m. at our Portland office. We’ll have food, entertainment, prizes, special guests, and unveil the new “Lily” ADPI Caucus room. All are welcome to join, learn, and celebrate!
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Support Your Union Siblings This Weekend

Laborers at the City of Portland represented by LiUNA Local 483 need your help and support tomorrow. These workers, who keep Portland running, are in a fight for a fair contract so that their members can afford to live in the communities they serve. They’ve voted to strike if a fair contract isn’t reached, which will happen on February 2 unless management comes to the table with a reasonable offer. Learn more about their struggle.

Join LiUNA Local 483 and Oregon’s Labor Movement for an important rally on Saturday, January 28 in downtown Portland. The rally will be held from 12:00 – 3:00pm at Terry Schrunk Plaza, 431 SW Madison Street. Wear your SEIU purple and show some solidarity and support for City of Portland laborers!

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SEIU 503 honors MLK, prepares to celebrate Black History Month

Our African American (AFRAM) Caucus sponsored “Keep Alive the Dream” honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Members from across the state joined hundreds of Oregonians in community, reflecting on Dr. King’s legacy and inspiring each other to keep his dream alive. ARAM will lead our unions Black History Month observation next month. Stay tuned for ways to gather, learn, and celebrate!

In Unity,
SEIU Local 503

January 13, 2023

Update on State Pay Issues

SEIU 503 continues to work with state management to ensure problems with December paychecks (most of which were overpayments, although some experienced underpayments or no pay at all) do not recur. These issues were likely caused by the state’s transition to a new payroll system for most agencies. For those who were overpaid, the process for repaying excess amounts is outlined in our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Details and full CBA language can be found here in Article 29, Section 9 (pages 30-31).

We encourage you to review your pay stubs after every pay period and promptly report any discrepancies to your supervisor or payroll office. We would like to hear from you as well: State Worker Payroll Transition Report.

If you still have not received your paycheck at all (or are experiencing any other urgent issues related to this payroll change), contact us at 1-844-503-7348 or by email so we can help you directly.

Our union filed a grievance with the state about this pay issue last week and we will keep you up to date on its progress.

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State Bargaining Update

Our Central Table Bargaining Team will meet with the State to exchange proposals early next month. Right now, our bargaining teams are in the process of reviewing the results of more than 7,000 surveys, which made our priorities for the 2023 bargaining session clear. These include:

• Strong wage increases
• Sustainable workloads
• Workplace safety
• Remote work equity

Getting engaged in this year’s bargaining efforts is critical to our union’s success – take your involvement to the next level by becoming a contract action team (CAT) member at your worksite today.

 

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is Monday. Join us in celebration!

Our African American (AFRAM) Caucus is proud to sponsor “Keep Alive the Dream” on Monday, January 16th, from 1pm-4pm at the Highland Christian Center (7600 NE Glisan St., Portland, OR 97123). If you can, please join us!  Our African American (AFRAM) Caucus is proud to sponsor “Keep Alive the Dream” on Monday, January 16th, from 1pm-4pm at the Highland Christian Center (7600 NE Glisan St., Portland, OR 97123). If you can, please join us!

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SEIU 503 Celebrates Lunar New Year on January 28

Our Asian Desi Pacific Islander (ADPI) Caucus is hosting an in-person Lunar New Year celebration on Sunday, January 28th, from 2 to 4 p.m. at our Portland office. We’ll have food, entertainment, prizes, special guests, and will unveil the new “Orchid” ADPI Caucus room! All are welcome to join, learn, and celebrate.
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Oregon’s Legislative Session Starts on Tuesday: Here’s what you need to know

Every two years, the Oregon Legislature convenes for a “long session” to pass a biennial budget, entertain substantive policy bills, and set aside bargaining pots for SEIU 503 members. More than 90% of members are bargaining for a new contract in 2023 and the amount of money we’re able to bargain for is determined by the legislature. We’ll need our members to exercise our voices to demand salaries that keep up with inflation and support sufficient staffing for state agencies, universities, and homecare workers. Stay tuned to your email and social media for what you can do to help win great contracts!

December 9, 2022

Portland Public Schools ​​​​​Members Locked Out

Earlier this week, PPS workers gathered to rally at PPS Headquarters to deliver a petition demanding that PPS provide paid leave to workers with COVID-19, who have been forced to drain their own vacation and sick leave because PPS stopped allowing workers out sick with COVID to use COVID leave.

What workers didn’t expect was to be denied entry to the building they work in! PPS refused to let workers into the building to present their petition to HR and ask them to set a date to bargain.

Ironically, at the same time, PPS administration sent an email to parents saying: “The health and well-being of our students is extremely important to us. We are keeping close track of the trends in our state and on the local level. PPS will continue to take all the steps necessary to maintain a healthy environment for our students and staff in the coming months.”
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Have you used Oregon’s 2022 Political Tax Credit?

CAPE, our union’s voluntary political action committee, helps elect pro-worker champions to everything from local government to federal office. Thousands of working people like us giving $8 or $10 each month to CAPE is our only way to compete against corporations and billionaires like Phil Knight trying to buy elections. And there’s help for many of us in the Oregon Political Tax Credit!

Eligible Oregonians receive a $50 tax credit ($100 for couples filing jointly) if you donate to a qualified political group, including CAPE. You’re eligible for 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 2022, so make sure to use yours before it expires.

More than 90% of SEIU 503 members are bargaining for new contracts in 2023. That means we need to apply all the pressure we can on the elected leaders who will determine how much money will be available for our new contracts. Giving to CAPE today will help win good contracts for the next 2 years. Join CAPE Today!

 

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Paid Leave Oregon Begins in 2023

Beginning in January, workers earning at least $1,000 a year will begin paying into Paid Leave Oregon, a program that will enable people who contribute to take paid time off in case of illness, to care for a family member or other qualifying event for up to 12 weeks each year. The cost is low: employees will pay .6% of their earnings (see table below) while employers will cover .4%. One of the best things? Workers do not have to exhaust their vacation or other leave time to use the benefit and do not have to use all 12 weeks of leave at one time.

Employees will be able to start applying for benefits in September of 2023. Paid Leave Oregon is separate and apart from other types of paid time off and covers family leave, medical leave and safe leave (for survivors of assault, domestic violence, harassment or stalking).

Paid Leave Oregon covers a portion of employees’ wages while out on leave (it covers more for earners at the lower end of the pay scale) and in most cases, more than what people would get under a short-term disability plan.

Questions? Visit Paid Leave Oregon online.

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SEIU 503 Members Made a Difference in Georgia

After securing victories for pro-worker champions in Oregon, SEIU 503 members went to Georgia and helped Senator Raphael Warnock secure his re-election in the December 6th runoff election! While in Atlanta, we also joined Delta Air Lines workers picketing for union recognition and a fair contract. Watch this video of member-leader Austin Folnagy’s account of the trip.

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Enrich Your Skills with Free State Webinars

Did you know the Public Employees’ Benefit Board (PEBB) and the state’s Worksite Wellness Coordinating Council sponsor monthly wellness events? There are lots of helpful topics, including information about your benefits, learning more about credit and owning a home, how to manage stress, building interpersonal skills and so much more. Check out this month’s webinar schedule.

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Columbia Store Discounts Happening Now

It’s that time again, discounts for SEIU 503 members at the Columbia Store. Use the image (included below) and proof of 503 membership to take advantage of special prices through December 26, 2022.

November 25, 2022

2022 General Election: We did it!

The leadup to the 2022 General Election was filled with uncertainty but resulted in key victories for SEIU 503 members up and down the ballot. SEIU was a big reason why. In the final 10 days before the election, we knocked on over 50,000 doors and called nearly 53,000 voters, speaking to voters in English and Spanish. Our work in the cold and through an atmospheric river played a key role in helping Tina Kotek and other pro-worker champions get elected. See how all our endorsed candidates did in the election.

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State Bargaining Survey Update

Thanks to YOU and your fellow union members, nearly 50% of our State union membership completed their 2022 State Member Bargaining Surveys! It’s evident, now more than ever before, that our members deeply care about the issues present in the workplace and are taking action to make their voices heard. So, what happens now? Your Central Table Bargaining team, made up of members from different agencies across the state, will carefully review survey responses. In the coming weeks we will share the results, and the bargaining team will develop our bargaining priorities, create a negotiation strategy, and plan how we will keep you involved at every step in this bargaining process. Stay tuned for more updates soon, as we prepare to kick-off bargaining in early 2023.

2022/23 Central Table Bargaining Team
Angela Ward, ODOT Coalition
Katherine Gile, ODOT Coalition
Tamera Combs, Specials Coalition
Kathleen Lamar, Specials Coalition
Austin Folnagy, Human Services Coalition
Rachelle Mullins, Human Services Coalition
Joseph Dyer, Institutions Coalition
Jesse Rodriguez, Institutions Coalition
Renae Bracken, Member At-Large
Ibrahim Coulibaly, Member At-Large

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November is Native American Heritage Month

Led by our Indigenous People’s Caucus, SEIU 503 is again observing Native American Heritage Month. Part of the observance is reckoning the Thanksgiving holiday many people grew up celebrating with the reality that it was actually a Thanks-taking of America’s first people’s land, language, and lives. Learn more.

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Paid Leave Oregon is Coming Soon

For more than a century, unions have fought for and supported policies and legislation that help all workers, not just those who are part of a union, such as weekends off, the 40-hour workweek and so forth.

As the COVID-19 pandemic raged on in 2020, many workers who became ill had no choice but to take unpaid time off to recover, exposing a huge gap in sick leave benefits.

That will change in 2023. Paid Leave Oregon – a program that most workers earning at least $1,000 a year will begin paying into Paid Leave Oregon, a program that will enable people who contribute to the program to take paid time off in case of illness, to care for a family member or other qualifying event for up to 12 weeks each year. The cost is low: employees will pay .06% of their earnings (see table) while employers will cover .04%. One of the best things? Workers do not have to exhaust their vacation or other leave time to use the benefit and do not have to use all 12 weeks of leave at one time.

Employees will be able to start applying for benefits in September of 2023. Paid Leave Oregon is separate and apart from other types of paid time off and covers family leave, medical leave and safe leave (for survivors of assault, domestic violence, harassment or stalking).

Paid Leave Oregon covers a portion of employees’ wages while out on leave (the lower the earnings, the higher the percentage) and in most cases, more than what people would get under a short-term disability plan.

Questions? Visit Paid Leave Oregon online. https://paidleave.oregon.gov/Pages/default.aspx

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Victory for Oregon Employment Dept Members!

This Spring, workers at the Hermiston OED WorkSource office began experiencing negative health issues while present at the Hermiston site. Between April 2022 and June 2022 complaints of burning eyes, headaches, tiredness, sore throats, coughing, and other symptoms were reported to management but no alternative work site or options were offered. Workers impacted by this environmental issue were then forced to use their own leave if they were not able to endure symptoms caused by the worksite. Staff felt unheard, unvalued, and unsafe. They reached out for help through BOLI, OSHA, lawyers, and of course, SEIU.

Through these combined organizing efforts, staff were moved to an alternate worksite while the cause of the pollutant was investigated. It was concluded that the HVAC system had not been working and there was no airflow in the office. Shockingly, workers were moved back and forth for several months between the affected office and alternate work sites before the HVAC issue was finally resolved. During that time, they continued to suffer adverse symptoms, and were forced to use their own sick time to leave a literally toxic work environment.

The SEIU Contract Specialist team fought back by coordinating a meeting with the Department of Administrative Services and advocating on behalf of the impacted workers. After discussions within DAS and the agency, they agreed to enter into a non-precedent setting LOA that allows the affected employees to retroactively utilize the provisions of LOA 123.00-18-311 (Inclement Weather/Hazardous Conditions Leave). This entitles affected workers to retroactive reimbursement for 80+ hours of sick time!

This hard-fought victory would not be possible without the unity and solidarity we have in our union and is a reminder of the collective power we gain when we advocate for ourselves and one another.

In Unity,
SEIU Local 503

October 28, 2022

Vote and Help Elect Pro-Worker Candidates

The election is just days away and we need your help to elect pro-worker candidates to the office of the Governor, the state legislature and other offices. You can make a difference by educating voters, getting them to fill in their ballots and talk to them about their plan to mail it back or drop it off by November 8th. This is one of the most important Oregon elections in our lifetimes; take action by volunteering to talk to voters and sign up for a shift. Here is the list of pro-worker candidates endorsed by SEIU 503 through our member-driven process.

You should have received your ballot in the mail by now so please contact your county elections officials if you haven’t received it yet. Note: If you’re newly registered in Oregon, you’ll receive it soon.

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Have you taken the 2022 State Bargaining survey?

The start of State Bargaining is just around the corner, and it all begins when you complete the bargaining survey. Completing the bargaining survey is the single most impactful action that you can take as a union member, and this opportunity only comes around once every two years. Act now to make your voice heard and complete your bargaining survey, if you haven’t done so already. You can find a link to your personalized survey, in your email. Can’t find that email? Reach out to your Organizer or give the Member Assistance Center a call at 1-844-503-SEIU (7348).

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CAP Workers Win Tentative Agreement!

After months of bargaining, members at CAP have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract! As an organization, CAP has been going through an aggressive expansion for the last three years. During this time, CAP opened Prism (a primary care clinic for LGBTQ+ communities), merged with Our House of Portland (a long-term care facility for people with HIV/AIDS), and extended services to SW Washington.

To accommodate bargaining for the integration of Our House of Portland into the union and the other recent changes, the SEIU bargaining committee agreed to an extension to their contract earlier this year that included a 7.7% COLA. Since then, workers organized and focused on building their union in the newer parts of CAP. They have signed petitions, collected stories, and purpled up to show their unity.

Because of the workers’ strong organizing, the bargaining team won an agreement that includes:

• ​​​A step system that rewards longevity (as well as a 1.5% COLA) effective 7/1/23—some workers will see as much as $4.50/hr increase based on steps alone. This is in addition to the 7.7% COLA negotiated over the summer.
• 2-5% COLA effective 7/1/24, based on CPI
• A new $2/hr differential for bilingual workers
• Weekend/evening/night shift differentials for workers at Our House
• Two new floating holidays

In Unity,
SEIU Local 503