DECEMBER 17th Bargaining Surveys Due

Get those surveys done before December 17th! These surveys will be our primary tool for developing a strategy for our upcoming contract bargaining. You have a different approach besides furloughs? Get it in there! You want better boot language? Get it in there. You want clear and simple language for Holiday Pay? Get it in there! In January, we will determine what your priorities are based upon a the consensus of these surveys.

Kitzhaber's Pink Slip for Agency heads!

Part of Kitzhaber's plan, when he takes office in January, is to shake up various state agencies by asking the resignations of its directors. He wants directors that will share his vision in transforming state government by improving its efficiency, productivity, and accountability. On the list of his priorities is Parks and Recreation! Other departments from his list include Transportation, Fish and Wildlife, Forestry, and State Police.

The material in this posting was taken from a recent article in Willamette Week. To view the original article and the rest of the list click the link below.
http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2010/12/06/kitzhaber-recruits-saxtons-issues-pink-slip-list/

What an Election!...now what?

With the passing of Measure 76 and newly elected Governor Kitzhaber, it looks like a major step forward in the right direction for Parks, right? Keep in mind unemployment is still high, the state's big budget shortfall, the public's negative perception of state workers and our upcoming contract bargaining. Speaking of state worker/public percerption, check out the Statesmans Journal Article from October 26 on Stateworker Compensation.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201010260312/NEWS/10260329

New Blog Stuff

Check out the "File Cabinet" to the right to view pages of reports of past meetings/events and our Current contract. Thats right our Contract can be accessed electronically on this blog!

Parks Meeting in Florence - Oct 1st & 2nd

I would like to thank everyone who came to our recent Parks Local 733 Florence meeting. We had over 20 participants and many were from HQ! The discussions between Field staff and members who work at Headquarters regarding volunteers/hosts was very productive. We will be posting the meeting minutes and possibly pictures within the next month. By the way big thanks for the two members who brought the BBQer's for our Saturday evening picnic!

We will also post the date for the next meeting along with the agenda within the upcoming months. Stay Posted

Bargaining Surveys: Your Voice Matters!

The Bargaining Survey is the heart of how contracts are negotiated. Whether its about particular issues at your job site you wish to address or all-encompassing issues, such as furloughs, this is the tool that determines how our elected delegates bargain this coming winter. Please take some time and use the new online Bargaining Survey with the link provided below. This should take no more than 20 minutes. Yes, Seasonals you can do it to even if your season has just ended.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DAS_Survey

At the end you will be given a chance to list and describe specific changes you would like to see (example: Better boot reimbursement language that does not limit from boot models that do not have safety toes Article 122.3 A, B Section 3 ).

Personal Leave for Seasonals

This year a seasonal employee attempted to use a fraction of an hour of their PB Time and was almost denied. Through further investigation, Payroll told the employee's OC that PB for seasonals was being rounded off (in thier interpretation of Article 55 Below). The employee had 12.27 hours, by rounding they would be denied the .27 hours.

Article 55 Section(1)Part-time, seasonal, and job share employees shall be granted such leave in a prorated amount of twenty-four(24) hours based on the same percentage or fraction of month they are hired to work, or as subsequently formally modified, provided it is anticipated that they will work 1,040 hours during the fiscal year.

It is a contract violation to deny an employee this fraction of time because our contract language specifies that PB time is prorated for seasonals. Thank you Maurice Wray Shop Steward for bringing this to their attention.

Dudley opposes Parks initiative

Heres an interesting article about how Dudley feels about parks. Article was originally posted last month.

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/08/dudley_releases_budget_reform.html

Local 733 October Florence Meeting

Register now for our upcoming meeting in Florence October 1st and 2nd. On the 1st we will have an evening networking dinner followed by a regular scheduled meeting the next day at 8am. After registration, travel and lodging is paid for (as long as you attend meetings, travel reimbursment depends on distance from florence).

To register download or print registration form found under "Pages" on right side of blog

Did you work the 4th of July but not the 5th?

Are you one of the lucky (or unlucky) ones who are required to work on the 4th of July but get the 5th off and you did not recieve holiday pay? Then you you may be getting compensation (form of a check) after payroll finishes their recent audit of July timesheets.

Article 58 Section 5 talks about the observed holiday falling on Monday the 5th since the 4th was on a Sunday. In the last part of the section 5 it states that if you are an employee who is required to work on holidays and its in writting (like your job description?) then you are exempt from the observed holiday language and your recognized holiday is the actual holiday date outlined in Section 1 of article 58, which would be the 4th. So if you worked on the weekend and your day off started on Monday the 5th, then you would recieve your holiday pay on the 4th (not the 5th).

Thanks to Peggy Rinck (President of Local 733) for catching this and motivating HR to take corective action. Below is an excerpt from an email from Tasha Peterson (HR) that describes what they will do next, so stay tuned!

1. We are conducting a payroll audit on July time. The audit will be looking for the following:If folks worked both the 4th and 5th - we will make sure that HP was only paid on one of these days. This is past practice. Overpayment resulting from being paid HP on BOTH days will be collected via payroll.If folks worked on the 4th and not the 5th - they will be paid HO and HP on the 4th.If folks worked on the 5th and not the 4th - they will paid HO and HP on the 5th.Anyone shorted will be adjusted and paid.
2. Please DO NOT change any July time sheets. Payroll will make all the adjustments (that is why they want the paper time sheets sent in.)
3. After the audit is complete, we will change the designation of those employees who should be paid on the actual holiday. We will provide the notification to them and you (in additional to it appearing in the position description currently). We will update the Special Working Conditions Form to communicate to employees who will receive holiday pay on actual holidays (rather than observed).And finally, thank you for your continued patience with me.

Upcoming Parks and Recreation Union meeting

Parks and Recreation Local 733 will be having a meeting in Florence on October 1st and 2nd. This will be a family freindly event that may include a Saturday BBQ. Travel and lodging costs will be paid for those traveling a considerable distance. On Friday October 1st the meeting will start at 6pm with a networking dinner. An official flyer with more information and a registration form will be posted soon.

Local 733 meets with Tim Wood on June 8th

On June 8th, Bobbie Muncreif (SEIU organizer), Barb Lakey (Local 733 secretary), and Anne Madsen (State Fair Local President) met with our director Tim Wood to discuss the Agency's current budget situation. The direction of the meeting was to discuss the condition of our current budget projections, the remainder of the year, as well as up to 2013.

The Results? Plain and simple, OPRD's budget is in great shape.

Since it is not tied to the General Fund, these 9%budget reductions do not impact Parks at all. Director, Tim Wood also stated that Parks has dedicated dollars that keep their revenue in good standing like the Lottery dollars which are projected to go up in the next 2 years, 2011/2013.
Tim Woods last remark was by far the best when he stated, “ this should give hope to folks in this economic time.”

Eugene Quaterly Meeting in May 2010

Parks Local 733 had a quarterly meeting in Eugene on May 7th and 8th. To discover what was discussed click on the "Minutes from parks local quarterly meeting" page in the upper right under the Pages caption on this blog page.

About our Meetings
I strongly encourage anyone in our local to attend these meetings. Lodging is paid for, as well as food (catered dinner and lunch), and your travel expense is reimbursed. Meetings are intentionally scheduled at attractive locations throughout our state to encourage members and their families to come as well (members only at the meeting). We are also trying to reach out to members in remote locations by bringing the meetings to smaller cities (like Bend or Florence).

Most important, these meetings will give you a sense of empowerment by participating with the direction of your Union. You will find that others like yourself may struggle with similar issues at their job sites as you do. The format of the meetings allow you to have a chance to express your opinions and bring up additional issues that maybe discussed in future.

Our next meeting: Florence, Friday September 24th (6pm-8pm) and Saturday the 25th (9am-2pm). Details TBA (watch for postcard in the mail)