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Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad August 20, 2005 Agreement reached on contracts for SOU employees Staff reports Service Employees International Union Local 503, members of Oregon Public Employees Union from the Department of Administrative Services and the Oregon University System voted to ratify their tentative agreements. On Friday, 93 percent of DAS employees voted in favor of the tentative agreement; 95 percent of OUS workers OK’d the contract. “It’s great that the agreement has been ratified,” said Rochelle Begin, who monitors compliance with unemployment rules at the state employment department. “Like other Oregonians, health care continues to be a major issue for us. In this contract campaign, we not only protected health care, but we worked to lower health-care costs for all Oregonians.” Begin, also a member of the DAS bargaining team, was referring to the affordable health care package, a set of bills that SEIU members worked on with legislators to address the crisis of skyrocketing health care costs. “I’m happy that members voted for this contract. Workers who lost steps in two years of the last contract, will get one step restored. I think the contract is a good one,” said Melody Williamson, who works for the Food Services Department at Western Oregon University. Joe DiNicola, President of SEIU Local 503, OPEU explains, “Workers from every corner of the state stood up to protect the services we provide. Members really got involved this year — talking to legislators, coming to rallies, and standing up for funding for the services Oregonians count on.” The contracts cover 18,000 state workers and more than 3,700 classified employees from university campuses throughout Oregon. --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.