By JEFF KLATKE
Council 75 President
I am proud to issue this report as President of Oregon AFSCME for March 2015.
I have not written a report to you all since December 2014. I was away for most of January and February participating in a six week intensive training program for union leaders, which was a fantastic experience. I was fortunate to have received a scholarship from AFSCME International to attend this program and I was able to take vacation time from my employer. I plan to tell more about my experience in this program in coming months.
There are so many lessons from that program to share. I plan to weave some of those lessons into our upcoming convention and into future executive committee and executive board meetings. The world has changed around us over the past few decades and unions need to adapt to the new circumstances. We have declined in nearly every measurement, most importantly in membership and density, but also in real dollar wages relative to our productivity. If we want different results, we need to think differently, act differently, speak differently, partner with groups with similar values, and structure ourselves differently. These are some of the conversations that will take place at our Oregon AFSCME convention in Salem April 24-26. As of today only 55 locals have registered delegates, and 53 have not. There is still time to elect and register delegates for your local if you have not done so already.
Also at the convention we will elect a new executive committee and new board, and elections about both of these bodies may change slightly if delegates approve some proposed constitutional amendments opening up eligibility for some elections to more members and rethinking what an appropriate size of our board might look like. In all there are seventeen proposed constitutional amendments and resolutions that will be debated by the delegates, thirteen of which have already been shared via email with local presidents and posted on the internet for viewing. Feel free to contact me at president@OregonAFSCME.com or 503-704-1665 if you have questions about any of these proposals or if you would like to schedule a time for me to visit your local to share more information with members. You can also find convention related materials on the Convention website here. This website contains the Council constitution, policy manual, proposed convention rules, locals’ voting strength and delegate count, hotel information, committee sign-up request, and much, much more. This website is intended to be a paperless solution for our convention. Delegates and attendees at the convention are asked to bring laptops, tablets or other devices to access this information live during the convention. Members at home will be able to follow the business of the convention by accessing this website during the convention where updates will be posted, including final versions of resolutions and constitutional amendments, nominations for elected offices and election results. People will also be able to follow the events of the convention, including see photos, on the Oregon AFSCME Facebook page. Just “like” the Facebook page and see updates as they happen.
The Oregon legislature is in session and Oregon AFSCME has a number of bills that we have written or are supporting. The biggest and most exciting effort in this year’s legislative session is the Fair Shot campaign, which combines several bills into a single priority to push for more livability of working families in Oregon. These bills create an adjustment to the minimum wage, paid sick days for everyone, a retirement savings plan for every worker in the state, a second chance for former inmates to find employment so they can stay out of prison, and an end to police profiling that unfairly targets youth, minorities and the poor. Check out the Fair Shot website to learn more about how these bills will make life better for every working family in Oregon and how you can help make these bills a reality.
I plan to send a president’s report like this every month to local presidents, members of the Oregon AFSCME board, and any member who requests it and gives the Council Secretary a home email address. If you ever have any questions or wish to send me a comment, you can reach me at president@OregonAFSCME.com.
Thank you for being an active member and leader in your union.
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