SEIU 503 held a bargaining press conference this afternoon at the Capital.  read more »

On Sunday, February 8^th, 2009 there was a Bargaining Conference in Eugene.

Reports indicate that the topic of why we didn't take the initial offer put out by the Governor's office was not given much coverage. The primary answer was that until we have a ratified contract, DAS can pull out of even a Tentative Agreement. And the Bargaining Team felt that they thought DAS would pull out.  read more »

Before I was forced to take some time off for a personal emergency, we were on-track to signing a tentative agreement that, while not perfect, was far better than I had ever expected we could negotiate for the coming biennium. Now, upon my return, I discover that DAS "made a mistake." The offer is off the table, and a new one, with 10 mandatory furlough days, sits in its place. What happened?!!?  read more »

Bargaining for the DAS contract has begun. OUS bargaining is ramping up. There are already developments that all members should be aware of.

If you are a member and do not know what the current bargaining developments are, please ask your local union leadership!  read more »

With the massive downturn in today's economy, we're going to have a tough time at the bargaining table. The Governor's recommended budget doesn't paint a cheery picture. On top of that, our bargaining surveys were filled out when the economy was better. We need to reevaluate what is most important to us as bargaining moves into full gear.

I hope everyone is having a happy and safe holiday season.

It has been an interesting month. First I was away for some scheduled time off. Then I returned just in time for to be blocked in by all of the snow and ice. Between the two events, I wasn't at the office for almost a month. It makes me glad that we had a good contract negotiation in 2007--we kept all of the vacation time, got our Personal Business, etc. I'm sure that a lot of people had to use some of that time.  read more »