OREGON AFSCME
e-lert
#6 ¥ May 5, 2010
Edited by Don Loving, Council 75 Public Affairs
Director
You should have received your
Oregon Primary Election ballot by now, which is the biggest reason we're
sending out this relatively brief e-lert. Election Day is Tuesday, May 18, and here is our usual mantra:
remember that your ballot must be received by your county elections
office by 8 p.m. that evening. All together now — "Postmarks don't
count." Very good. Please read on ...
* * *
ENDORSEMENT LIST — The Election
Central tab on the Oregon AFSCME website has our complete Primary Election
endorsement list. That list may appear shorter than usual; if so, you're
probably thinking in terms of a General Election list, where the union
typically takes a position on most every Oregon House and Senate race.
For the primary election,
Council 75 generally issues endorsements only in contested primary races of interest.
In addition, any state legislator compiling a 100 percent AFSCME voting record
the previous session and running
for the same office receives an automatic endorsement all the way through the
General Election. The names of candidates who have gained automatic
endorsements in the Oregon House and Senate are denoted in boldface on the website.
If your Senate or House
district is not listed it means that Oregon AFSCME did not make a Primary
Election recommendation in that district. Remember, too, that state senators
serve four-year terms, so not every Senate district is up for election this
year. State representatives serve two-year terms and all 60 Oregon House seats
are up for election each voting cycle.
In the primary's two
statewide races, Oregon AFSCME has endorsed John Kitzhaber for governor and Ted Wheeler for treasurer.
* * *
LOCAL ELECTIONS — The Council website endorsement list also
includes local election endorsements that have been reported to us, including a
couple that were recently added. Local election endorsements are determined by
the local union of that agency; that is, Local 1724 determines endorsements in
City of Eugene races, Local 2746 determines endorsements for Clatsop County,
and so on. Here's a quick rundown of the local endorsements that have been
reported to date ...
In Clackamas County, Local
350 has endorsed Robert Austin and
Jim Bernard for the Clackamas
County Commission ...
In Josephine County, Local
3694 has endorsed Dave Toler for
the Josephine County Commission. Those who have followed the events of the past
four years will understand the significance of an incumbent commissioner
earning Local 3694's endorsement ...
In Lane County, Local 2831
has endorsed Pat Riggs-Henson for
the Lane County Commission. That name is familiar to many of you, as
Riggs-Henson is a recent AFSCME retiree, a longtime Local 2831 activist and
Council 75 Trustee ...
In Metro, Local 3580 has
endorsed Duke Shepard for the
Metro Council. Shepard is the Political Director of the Oregon AFL-CIO ...
In Multnomah County, Local 88
has endorsed Jeff Cogen for
Multnomah County Chair and Dan Staton
for Multnomah County Sheriff ...
In Salem, Local 2067 has
endorsed Chuck Bennett for Mayor
of Salem. Bennett, a lobbyist for the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators,
is a former state legislator and well-known "friend" of the Council 75
political staff.
* * *
CELEBRATING OUR
CORRECTIONS MEMBERS — While we
have your attention, we want to denote that this week (May 2-8) is National
Correctional Employees Week, an event first designated by President Ronald
Reagan in 1987. It began as a week
highlighting corrections officers specifically, but now the event honors all
correctional employees. Oregon AFSCME represents the vast majority of both
Security and Security Plus personnel throughout the state prison system, as
well as many Corrections employees at the county level.
"On behalf of Oregon AFSCME,
I want to recognize and thank all of our Corrections members for the work they
do," said Council 75 Executive Director Ken Allen. "At AFSCME, we are proud of the strides we've made
over the years in helping mold Corrections work into a profession, not just a job, and we salute all of the fine
professionals we represent in the Corrections field. You do work that many
people would never consider doing, and you do it well."
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski noted that the Oregon Department of Corrections is a
vital component of the state's criminal justice and public safety system.
"Correctional employees are
highly trained, committed and productive members of Oregon's workforce," said
Kulongoski. "Correctional employees model ethical and pro-social behaviors
while holding offenders accountable for their actions and reducing the risk of
future criminal behavior. Correctional employees carry out the Department's
mission, values and goals with enthusiasm, innovation and pride."
Oregon AFSCME Corrections
Coordinator Tim Woolery, himself
an 18-year veteran of the DOC, said AFSCME-represented Corrections staff
continues to do good work despite constant funding and staffing shortfalls.
"I'm very proud of the people
I represent," said Woolery. "We more often than not are operating under less
than ideal circumstances, yet our members perform their jobs in an honorable
and professional manner. This week is just a small token of appreciation of
that work."
Oregon DOC Director Max
Williams acknowledged "challenges"
with both the agency's budget and the growth in inmate population.
"We will continue to face
both fiscal and operational challenges, but we can overcome these obstacles by
working together," said Williams. "As a DOC employee, it doesn't matter your
job title — corrections officer, counselor, food services provider,
maintenance worker, education provider, medical or mental health professional,
support staff, parole and probation officer, manager, administrator, central
office service provider or otherwise — you are an important part of
Oregon's public safety system.
"Thank you for the hard work you do everyday."
There is, of course, an
elephant in the room in the midst of the week-long celebration. AFSCME and the
DOC recently presented their cases to an arbitrator who will decide the next
Security contract, as the two sides were unable to reach a settlement at the
bargaining table. The arbitrator, who by law must choose one side's offer or
the other's in its entirety, will issue his ruling by the end of this
month.
* * *
We end this e-lert with news of two internal "conventions" that recently
took place ...
RETIREES ARE 'OFFICIALLY
OFFICIAL' — With a small but
enthusiastic group of retirees meeting in Salem to take the next step from
fledgling "sub-chapter" to full-blown, official, International union-blessed
"Chapter," the Oregon AFSCME Retirees Chapter 75 was officially founded on
April 17.
AFSCME International Retiree
Director Steve Regenstreif was on
hand from Washington, D.C. to help walk the group through its founding
convention. The Oregon AFSCME retirees have been active for several years now
with a small sub-chapter of primarily Portland-area participants. With the
founding convention, the retirees hope to quickly and dramatically increase
their membership through a series of regionally based, in-state sub-groups.
Michael Arken was elected Retirees Chapter 75 President. Arken, a
Local 189 (City of Portland) retiree, has been the sub-chapter president for
several years. Regenstreif presented Arken with the Retirees Chapter 75
official charter to close the founding convention's events. (As a full Retiree
Chapter, the group takes on Oregon AFSCME Council 75's "75" designation from
the national union.)
A special guest speaker was
Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem), who encouraged the participants to stay active in politics
and noted how much they can make a difference with their time and expertise.
The group also heard an update on PERS from Council 75's senior lobbyist Mary
Botkin.
"I thought everything went
exceptionally well," said Arken. "I thought the appearance by Sen. Courtney
really made the day; his remarks were an excellent touch. I want to thank
everybody who was there, and thank those who were willing to serve as officers
and help move us forward."
Arken foresees a busy agenda,
what with 2010 being a significant election year. First up will be establishing
the regional sub-groups. The Portland group already exists, and both the Salem
and Eugene areas have people on board and working. Next up after that will be
sub-groups for Pendleton/Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon.
Arken says Retirees Chapter
75 will be proactive in building its membership and use a strong organizing
model.
"We are not just going to
rely on lists and mailings," he says. "We're going to get out on our feet and
go door-knocking and make personal contact. We have a lot to offer people, and
we want to grow quickly and do what we can in the community and politically."
Arken notes that the AFSCME
Retiree charter is unique in that the group accepts retiree members from AFSCME
or any other public employee union — SEIU, OEA, AFT, etc. A change in the
law now allows members' nominal dues to be deducted from their monthly PERS
check.
"It's not uncommon to have
situations where spouses were both public employees but were members of
different unions — a Portland city worker (AFSCME) married to a teacher
(OEA), for example," said Arken. "Now they can belong to the same union retiree
association — ours."
Anyone with questions is
urged to contact Arken or Oregon
AFSCME Staff Representative Dave
Raahahn, who serves as the Council 75 staff liaison to the retiree group.
Following is a list of the
Oregon AFSCME Retiree Chapter 75 officers. Please note that the District 1,
District 2, etc. area designations are internal districts specific to the
retiree council and not based on Oregon's congressional district
boundaries.
President — Michael
Arken, Local 189 (City of Portland)
Vice-President — Genie
Uebelacker, Local 328 (OHSU)
Secretary-Treasurer — Chuck
Moffit, Local 189
Recording Secretary — Robin
Mariani-Moffit, Local 189
District 1 Vice-President — Bev
Swanson, Local 328
District 2 Vice-President — Larry
Myllenbeck, Local 189
District 3 Vice-President — Lou
Sinniger, Retired Council 75 Staff
Rep
District 4 Vice-President — Vacant
District 5 Vice-President — Vacant
Trustees — Linda Bachman, Local
328; Bill Summers, Retired
International Union Staff; and Cathy Thomas, Local 3580 (Metro).
Sinniger, incidentally, is
currently working part-time again for the Council, filling in for Local 189 rep
James Hester as Hester takes some
time off for medical leave.
* * *
CCPT IN THE HOUSE — Over 60 child care providers, coming from as
far away as Baker City and Bend, converged on Salem April 23-24 for the second
annual Oregon AFSCME Child Care Convention.
AFSCME Local 132 represents
registered and certified child care providers throughout the state. The group
was established in 2005, gained collective bargaining rights with the State of
Oregon in 2007 and has been a trendsetter for other AFSCME-represented child
care locals throughout the country, especially the group's "Child Care
Providers Bill of Rights" negotiated with the state.
The 2010 convention was a
combination of training exercises and classes, elections and socializing. The
keynote speaker was Dr. Michael Leeds,
who led a workshop titled "Managing Uncivil Behavior" that included the
optimistic goal of "learning to deal with difficult people in a professional
manner." There were several additional workshops ranging from cooking with
young children to examining union benefits.
"Everything went well and we
had nothing but positive reports," said Council 75 Staff Representative Faye
Zepeda, one of two Oregon AFSCME
staff reps — along with JaNell Welker — that specializes in representing child care
workers. "This is a group that doesn't get out often — they are at their
homes or centers most every day, watching children so other people can go to
work. So they enjoyed the opportunity to get out and socialize with their
peers. That doesn't happen often in this field of work."
The convention culminated
with elections and a general membership board meeting. Here is a list of the
new officers for the current term:
á
President — Autumn
David, Salem
á
First Vice President
— Enid Hall, Salem
á
Second Vice President
— Still contested via mail ballot
á
Secretary — Becky
Goodman, Gresham
á
Treasurer — Renee
Wehrend, Salem
á
Valley Region Director
— Shanna Aldis, Salem
á
South Valley Region
Director — Elana Dittman,
Salem
á
North Region Director
— Suzanne Frazier-Parker,
Tualatin
á
South Region Director
— Francesca Yvonne, Portland
á
Central Region Director
— Gaila Wold-Adams, Bend
á
Eastern Region Director
— Tracy Yanssens, Baker City
á
Trustee — Kathy
Randall, Salem
Anyone with any questions
about Local 132 and Oregon Child Care Providers Together is encouraged to
e-mail either Zepeda or Welker.
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