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Statewide union seeks strike 18,000 members will vote next week on walkout By DAMIAN MANN SALEM � Leaders of an Oregon public employees union, which represents 428 state workers in Jackson County, decided Monday to push for a statewide strike after rejecting a wage and insurance package. A last-ditch mediated bargaining session has been set for Friday, but if it fails, a strike could take place as early as mid-August � leading to disruption in health and employment benefits, transportation and other state services. About 18,000 members of the Service Employees International Union Local 503 � part of the AFL-CIO � will vote whether to strike July 24-26 throughout Oregon. Union members, who have been preparing for a walkout for months, officially began working without a contract Monday. Union members who work for the county are also considering striking, said Barbara Kellogg, who represents the union�s Medford field office. She said 671 Jackson County workers have voted to strike if bargaining talks fail over similar wage and health benefit disputes with county commissioners. She said another 225 Southern Oregon University classified workers, who comprise clerical staff, custodians, groundskeepers and other nonfaculty positions, also have been having difficulty reaching a wage and benefit settlement, though members haven�t yet pushed to strike. Kellogg said state union workers have reached the point where a strike is needed to uphold their position. The state originally offered a 2 percent wage increase over a two-year period, but has now agreed to give 2 percent hikes in each of the next two years. But the state has remained firm on a 14 percent cap on insurance benefits in 2003, asking its employees to absorb any higher costs. Union officials have rejected the 2 percent hikes because they fall below a cost-of-living increase, which amounts to more than 3 percent annually. In a compromise move, the union has indicated it would accept a 2 percent increase followed by a 3 percent increase the following year. Union bargaining team chairman Dave Wells said wages, insurance and the state�s push to create a bigger pool of nonunion temporary workers are the main problem areas. But overall, he said, "health insurance is actually the issue that is wagging the dog." Employees are already concerned about more out-of-pocket expenses for insurance and, Wells said, "They want insurance fully paid for the rest of the contract." Dan Kennedy, state director of personnel and labor relations, said that despite talk of a strike, "we�re still very close together. We�re a percent apart on the money." The union proposal to increase wages by 3 percent in 2003 would cost the state roughly $6 million, he said. Kennedy said the state�s offer actually amounts to more than a cost-of-living increase. Insurance should be calculated into this increase, he said. A 22 percent jump in insurance rates next year will cost the state about $300 million, he said. He explained that the combination of a 2 percent wage increase and the hike in insurance premiums actually amounts to a 4-5 percent boost in compensation for an employee earning about $3,000 a month. In addition, about half the employees will receive almost a 5 percent wage increase based on years of service. Kathy Zulkosky, case manager for Oregon senior and disabled services, said a strike would be particularly hard on the estimated 2,000 to 3,000 seniors served by her organization. "Everybody�s pretty disappointed that we�ve gone this far," she said. "It�s very upsetting to all of our members." But her fellow state workers are prepared to go on strike to help maintain their salary levels and insurance benefits, she said. Her office even conducted a bake sale to create a strike fund, but has raised only $400. "It�s more the idea of it that�s important," she said. Though a strike shouldn�t affect the care seniors receive, Zulkosky said it could slow up authorizations for new service and disrupt pay for caregivers. Zulkosky said the last time the union struck in 1995, the public supported the workers� effort. "We got a tremendous amount of community support," she said. "We were very nervous about what kind of public reaction we would get, but people brought us coffee and doughnuts." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.