|
Local 1246's Linda Havlinek engages a West Salem resident during an October 2014 canvass for Paul Evans, who won a close state rep race with the union's help. |
|
This year Oregon AFSCME Local 1246 enjoyed one of the most successful legislative sessions that any local union has had — ever. The local, which represents group home workers in the state’s Stabilization and Crisis Unit, headed into the 2015 session with a list of priority items, and when the gavel came down in July to adjourn lawmakers, Local 1246 had marked virtually everything off its list.
But local leaders are quick to say it didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen by accident. The success of the 2015 session was the result of a meticulous plan long in the making.
“We had persistently testified at previous sessions, even passed a workers comp-related bill in the 2014 short session, and that was a factor, educating legislators over time,” says Council Representative Randy Ridderbusch. “That set the table for 2015.”
The serious table-setting began in the interim period of 2014 when the union hosted small face-to-face sit-downs with local lawmakers in Eugene, Salem and Portland.
“Meeting in the interim, away from the hub-bub of a session, allowed us to connect with several legislators and help them really understand our issues,” said member Brian Lewis. “Those informal meetings jump-started our process, and some legislators followed up and toured group homes with us.”
Appearing before the interim legislative Emergency Board to keep the local’s issues on lawmakers’ minds was another part of the plan, but the local’s next big step came during the 2014 campaign season. Local 1246 turned out more volunteers for canvasses and phone banks than any other local union, and made sure candidates knew the union was there for them.
“That was an important time, to show our support,” said Local 1246’s Berely Mack, who attended virtually every Salem-area walk. “We needed to give them something, that’s just the way the political process works.”
“When a legislator or a candidate sees you out there carrying their literature to doors, or spending your evening calling people on their behalf, they remember that,” added Linda Havlinek, another longtime Local 1246 activist. “That work is what opens the door to their office once the legislative session begins.”
With that groundwork in place, Local 1246 members and Council 75 staff hit the ’15 session running, persistently trolling the House and Senate office floors, scheduling dozens of formal meetings and several informal drop-in sessions, too.
“We spent a lot of time at the capitol,” said Local 1246 President Matt Orser. “Yes, that’s not always easy. I burned vacation time on several days. But it was vital to keep our issues in the forefront. Legislators get very busy and pulled in a million different directions during session. You have to keep a presence there to keep your issues in the mix.
“We have great Council staff and they do a great job at the Legislature, but they can’t do it alone,” Orser added. “Ultimately these were our issues and our stories to tell, and we simply had to make the time to be there.”
When the session ended, Local 1246 saw its membership granted PERS P & F (public safety) enhanced status, over 100 new positions budgeted, a crisis intervention team established and seats at the table on a new task force that will further delve into SACU issues and report back to the 2017 session.
“It was a great session, but people need to understand it didn’t ‘just happen.’ We worked long and hard with a plan in place to achieve our goals,” said Orser.
|