One Ringy-Dingy . . .

Our last Legislative Advisory Council (LAC) meeting was held last weekend on Saturday, February 2. It was to be held at OEA headquarters in Portland but because of the awful weather it was changed to a conference call.

What a great idea! First of all, the weather was universally hazardous across the state. Eugene had experienced 5 inches of snow earlier in the week and the coastal range had snow at 200 feet. As hard as it is for an Eastern Oregonian to relate to just a few inches of wet snow creating a huge obstacle for anyone driving in this area, the West-side snow fits this description. Here in Eastern Oregon Union County schools were closed on Thursday due to blowing snow (a condition that delayed school this week as well) and some schools in Klamath County were closed too. Second of all with 47,000 members in the Association many of them are far away from the I-5 corridor and spend several hours of travel time to attend a meeting (I count on 5 hours one way in good weather to reach Portland, in bad weather it is longer). Several members of the LAC would have been unable to attend the meeting because of these bad conditions and long distances to boot.

Conference calls are an excellent alternative to a face-to-face meeting. They are faster (our business was concluded in less than an hour), less expensive because of travel costs (the current IRS mileage rate is 50.5 cents per mile not to mention lodging and food expense), there is no travel time (minimum 10 hours round trip for me) and allow participants to do the business of the Association in the casual comfort of home. Certainly there are drawbacks. Conference calls are confusing because it is sometimes hard to track who is talking at any given time. Phone connections aren't always reliable and sometimes background noise can be a problem (I was harassed by my youngest cat and hoped that her talking wasn't a distraction to the other participants!). Face-to-face meetings allow participants to express themselves freely through raised eyebrows and other body language besides having side conversations during break times. Still, all things considered conference calls are efficient and allow members to meet with a minimum impact on their day.

With all of the technology available to us OEA should utilize some of these meeting methods when possible to get the most "bang for our buck" and still accomplish our goals.

Oh, Where Have You Been, Billy Boy?

Cue the music! "Oh, where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy? Oh, where have you been, charming Billy?" The answer is: hanging out with the press and whining about the new, tougher laws about collecting signatures for ballot measures.

Today's Baker City Herald had an article about Mr. Sizemore. Apparently because of the new rules regarding payroll records for paid signature gatherers several of Racketeer Bill Sizemore's proposed ballot measures have been suspended. He says, "Bill Bradbury has shut down the initiative process." Oh, poor Billy S.! Despite the fact that he knew the rules were being put into place in 2008 he failed to maintain accurate records and follow protocol by turning them in at the Secretary of State's office. Considering the charges OEA brought against him a few years ago and his conviction for racketeering this isn't surprising. Of course if he had a dedicated group of volunteers instead of paid signature gatherers this wouldn't be an issue. Because signature gatherers are being paid there are strict rules and the Secretary of State is watching for compliance.

Oregon's initiative process was in dire need of reform. Before this new law took effect signature gatherers were paid by the signature, a system that encouraged fraud and forgery. Some signature gatherers were caught signing voter's names to initiatives the original signer had no idea existed. According to an article from "Our Oregon Newsletter "4.24.07 "House Bill 2082 will require campaigns that hire paid signature gatherers to keep accurate and up-to-date payroll records and gives the Secretary of State audit authority to spot check campaigns . . . Additionally, HB 2082 increase the number of signatures required to file a ballot title from 25 to a reasonable 1,000, which would stop the current practice of campaigns marketing their ideas on the taxpayer's dime. If the campaign goes forward with the measure, the 1,000 signatures would count for the final total."

Until Sizemore complies with state election law he cannot continue to gather signatures for the following ballot measures:

• A proposal to make federal income taxes fully deductible on state returns.
• A requirement that non-English speaking students take English-only classes within two years.
• Teacher Merit Pay

These aren't the only ballot measures being suspended. Several measures by another anti-tax, anti-public employee group, "Freedom Works" are affected. This is good news for our members. OEA and other like-minded groups have fought these kinds of measures for years. We were instrumental in getting ballot measure reform in place because of Sizemore's racketeering and general abuse of the system.

Naturally there is a backlash. According to the article Kevin Mannix, another ballot measure backer, "is rounding up signatures for a proposed initiative measure to overturn many of the new restrictions recently put into place." Mannix says "It undoes the bureaucratic garbage that has been enacted by the powerful elites."

Hmmm. Without a doubt OEA is powerful. Our members make us strong. But elite? Hardly. This sounds suspiciously like sour grapes and a general distaste for an educated public. Why is it unreasonable for firms employing paid signature gatherers to prove that they aren't paying by the signature when this practice encourages fraud? Because it eliminates the industry of making money from ballot measures, something that has been going on in Oregon for years.

Thankfully the new rules are in place now. Unfortunately we know that these prolific sponsors aren't going away anytime soon. With luck we will have slowed them down and may keep some ugly ballot measures off of the November 2008 ballot.

Milton Freewater

Are you bargaining this year? Maybe working without a contract? You aren't alone. One of Columbia River UniServ locals, Milton Freewater Education Association, has been working without a contract since July. Over the past few years MFEA has taken raises of 0%, 1.5%, 2% and 2% while the school district ended last year with a
$6.2 million ending balance (43% of their general fund). Hmmmm, that doesn't add up. In this wall-to-wall unit the ESP group has especially felt the pinch with rising health insurance costs, a rising CPI and a paycheck that can't keep up with inflation.

MFEA has been negotiating since November of 2006 with little movement from the school district. In October both teams agreed to go to mediation which was delayed because the Employer Relations Board is short-handed and the Multnomah ESD strike took precedence. The first official mediation session took place on January 24. The above photo shows MFEA employees and community members picketing to show support for the bargaining team. President Laurie Hackney indicated that there was some progress but another mediation session has been scheduled for February 27.

Please send these members your support and let them know that you agree with them. For the latest information click on the "Milton Freewater Education Association" advocacy link (below, right).

Steve Novick Ad

I've got to hand it to Steve Novick; he knows how to set himself apart from the other candidates. His latest ad points out that he is differently abled but still gets the job done. To see it, click on the link below:

http://youtube.com/watch?v =N2UesvrH-cs


Last week the US Senate candidates met in Pendleton for a debate hosted by the East Oregonian. Portland's Oregonian pointed out that there were few differences between the candidates. Both Jeff Merkley and Steve Novick are well known and the other four candidates, Candy Neville, of Eugene, Pavel Goberman, of Beaverton, David Loera, of Salem, and Roger Obrist, of Damascus are less so.

Steve has an edge, however. His knack for advertising and utilizing the internet is really setting him apart. One can't help but be impressed with his ingenuity and ability to remain a solid, down-to-earth candidate.

I still haven't decided who to support for the US Senate race but Steve Novick is definitely worth a second look.

Dr. King

April 4, 2008 will mark the 40th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death. Today it is appropriate to look back and think of how things have changed in the years since he began his important work.


In 1968 some of us weren't born yet, others were very young and still others remember the events that came before and after the civil rights movement. As a young child in Wyoming I grew up knowing little of Dr. King's legacy. At that time most social studies classes didn't cover recent events and at age four I certainly couldn't understand the gravity of what happened to Dr. King or to Robert F. Kennedy. But I understand now.

As unionists all of us should appreciate Dr. King's work for equality. He not only fought for the rights of African Americans across the nation but for labor rights for everyone. He understood that a weekly paycheck should last for a week and buy a week's worth of groceries and rent. At a time when lynchings were common place Dr. King bravely took up the battle cry of civil rights, voting rights and basic human rights knowing all too well that he put himself in harm's way. He believed in peaceful protest, a standard that we as an Association have used in pickets lines across the nation and across the state.

On Martin Luther King Day 2003 OEA used Dr. King's peaceful protest model for a rally in Salem. We had approximately 6,000 people from across the state on the steps of the Oregon Capitol building speaking out, singing songs and carrying signs encouraging our legislature to step up and fully fund education in Oregon. The event was covered by news crews from across the state and even nationally. I am proud to say that I was there, shouting as loudly as anyone after traveling 350 miles one way to reach Salem. The 2003 Rally was a success because our members banded together and brought colleagues, students, spouses and friends to join the cause. It was a great tribute to Dr. King in the spirit of peaceful protest.

Thank you, Dr. King, for showing us that one person can make a difference and that many working together can change the face of a nation.

LAC, Here I Come!

Saturday will be my very first LAC (Legislative Advisory Council) meeting! Now that my 8 years as a PIE Board director are under my belt I'm excited to approach the legislature from a new angle. The issues facing OEA members are important ones and the upcoming legislative session promises to have its share of surprises.

If you don't know, LAC is the arm of OEA that writes OEA's legislative objectives. We discuss the issues, survey members within our UniServ areas and then bring the feedback to the group for further discussion. We write the legislative objectives based on this discussion. These then go to the OEA Representative Assembly for approval.

Serving on LAC will be a good opportunity for me to hear what members across the state are saying about these issues and whether or not it is time for OEA to rethink its positions. I look forward to Saturday and learning "the scoop" on open primary, fusion voting, virtual vendors, guns in schools and merit pay. The discussion will probably be lively!

Tough Choice!

Tonight at our UniServ Council meeting we had call-ins from two of our Senate hopefuls, Jeff Merkley and Steve Novick. We will have a tough choice to make at our PIE Convention March 7-8 in Salem!


Jeff called first tonight. He is every bit the skilled politician. By that, I mean that he is smooth and knows what to say. He has real substance and some great ideas. He would be an excellent advocate for education in Washington, D.C. and he has done good things for us here in Oregon as our House Speaker. I'll be watching him during the upcoming legislative session to see how he is able to handle the partisanship that has been so difficult for us in Oregon.

Steve also had great things to say. He is a renegade, an upstart, but he has enough political experience under his belt to prove that he can get things done. He has an amazing ability to pull coalitions together and has helped to defeat our foe, Bill Sizemore, on BM 91. His ideas about health care are interesting and the concept that by having everyone insured there will be more money for education (to say nothing for having healthier kids!) are worth considering. The question is, will he be able to build a coalition and get things done in Washington as a freshman senator?

I'm still on the fence about who to support in March. These are both great candidates and would give Gordon Smith a run for his money. Like many of you I'll be watching and listening between now and March 7 to get more details!