EOCI workers preparing to go on strike

By the East Oregonian

eastoregonian.com/front page/9-11-99

A cartoon of sign-bearing workers on a flyer distributed to Oregon American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees ignites solidarity by stating: “United we bargain. Divided we beg.”

The union is preparing to strike against the Oregon Department of Corrections following the declaration of impasse in labor negotiations Friday.

Non-security union employees at state correctional institutions are affected by the action and already voted to approve a strike in August. This includes 122 employees at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton and 13 employees at Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla.

Both the state and union must submit their final proposal to the state Employment Relations Board within seven days. A 30-day cooling-off period follows during which negotiations can continue.

Chief union spokesman Greg Schneider said if no agreement is reached by the end of the 30 days, the union will strike.

“We have no further meetings (with the state) scheduled at this time,” he said.

Mark Hunt, labor relations official with the state Department of Administrative Services, said it is not likely the state will adjust its current proposal, which offers a 2 percent wage increase in October, a 2 percent wage increase in January 2001 and a $38 wage increase in June 2001.

“This is something the Department of Corrections will take a good hard look at,” Hunt said in terms of avoiding a strike. “We want to look at any alternatives we can to avoid going down that road.”

Hunt said he was disappointed in the union’s decision to declare impasse.

“Negotiations are a process of give and take,” he said. “We’ve gone as far as we can to meet their needs.”

Schneider said discrepancies in the pay scale of corrections officers and non-security prison employees has been growing for the past five years, but added that money was only one issue of concern.

Non-security personnel in state prisons perform similar tasks as their counterparts in other state departments but regularly work in the presence of inmates.

“There are hazards these folks face every day,” Schneider said. “They can be working in the kitchen with 20 to 30 inmates who have access to knives and other utensils that can be used as weapons. They have to be supervised without any corrections officers around.”

Compensating non-security employees both financially and through improved training is what the union is requesting in a new contract, Schneider said, adding the union and the Department of Corrections recently began devising a training program.

“Progress has been made in that direction,” he said.

Hunt said union employees at prisons are treated equitably based on contracts offered to other state employees both in AFSCME and the Oregon Public Employee Union.