The last few months have been a whirlwind as Covid-19 has changed the lives of most Oregonians. Together, our union has fought to make sure that our members are protected as they continue to provide essential services during this crisis, and we’ll continue to do so until this pandemic is over. Even during all this chaos there are victories for us to celebrate. One of the economic gains we made in bargaining last year goes into effect this month, and provisions of our COVID-19 letter agreement have been extended. Here’s more detail:
New Top Step
On July 1st a new provision of our contract went into effect – a new top step on our pay scales! This was a huge victory and recognizes the value of having experienced staff in the state workforce. If you are at the top step of your salary range you will get a step increase on your salary eligibility date (as soon as July 1 for some workers). Even if you’re not at the top, this new step means your salary has more room to grow. And that’s a good thing.
Telework Extension
In an effort to cut down on the rate of Covid-19 infections and to keep employees safe, we negotiated a Letter of Agreement (LOA) that, among other protections, expanded telework and gave employees paid leave if they had quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure. While we recently extended this LOA through the end of the contract, the state hadn’t been willing to expand telework past June 30th, until now.
We were able to win an extension telework options to August 31st, keeping staff safe as the state slowly re-opens. This will ensure that State services continue without interruption, and state employees are able to continue working while keeping their families safe.
Upcoming Special Session
In a few weeks the State Legislature is likely to call a special session over the impacts of the COVID-induced budget shortfall. It’s extremely important that we are united, to fight to protect the gains we’ve made in our last contract.
Some people – including The Oregonian – are calling for salary freezes or roll backs on the victories in our last contract. We believe strong public services and good union jobs are the best way to pull Oregon out of the pandemic and the economic recession. Cuts should be the last resort.
Together we are protecting public employees and the resources that Oregon thrives on, and we can only do that because we are united. We are fighting for the HEROES Act to be passed, which is a $3 trillion COVID-19 recovery package to help support workers and local communities. Union members around Oregon, and around the country, are “adopting states” to call constituents and support them in urging their elected officials to support the HEROES Act. You can volunteer to phone bank around the HEROES Act, which will help to keep our state services funded.