Note from President Michelle Jones

Thank you everyone for trusting me as the face of your union over the last two terms. I’ve appreciated your trust as we navigated covid policies together, as well as being your voice over the last two contract negotiations.  As I step down, please remember to vote for your next union president, as well as our other elected positions. Look for your ballot in your personal email and remember to vote. If you didn’t receive your ballot, please reach out to any of our current union leadership so we can check your membership status and connect you with people who can help.  Candidate statements can be found here.

Things you might want to know about

• The 2023-2025 Contract is available in a draft version.  You can view it here. We will let you know when final copies are available.  Contact a Steward if you have questions about contract language.
• Pay for staff making under $21 an hour is continuing to increase with our contract.  Starting April 2024, low wage staff in the first steps of their salary range will see a pay increase.  See Article 27 LOA, page 164 for a list of classifications (examples: Natural Resource Specialist 1, Fish Wildlife Technician, Biological Science Assistant, Office Specialist, Public Service Representative) that this is happening.
• January 1, 2025, 6.55% COLA has been approved by legislature. You will see the increase on your February 2025 pay.
• Uniform Allowance- Must be spent per fiscal year (July 1-June 30). Reimbursement of $325 or $150 (depending on position) employed 9 months or more, $125 employed less than 9 months, and 3 shirts for new employees.  Contact a Steward if you have issues receiving approval for uniform items you need to do your job.  Non-logo items (examples: work boots, pants, base layers) need supervisor approval.
• Essential Worker Pay- Essential workers having to report to work in person during a closure (inclement weather/hazardous conditions), shall receive the Essential Worker Inclement Weather/Hazardous Conditions Pay differential.  You receive $3.00 per hour for all hours worked on a designated closure or curtailment day.
• Workday Pay Issue Update- Please contact a Steward or SEIU 503 if you are having issues with pay due to Workday.  You can find more details about the grievances that were filed and latest updates on SEIU503 website. As of February 14, there’s been some agreement made between the union and management.  Currently we are working with DAS and DOJ to get our Arbitration hearing set up. We also continue to push the state to settle these grievances and believe that is the best next step to address the issue.
• Reminder for new employees- Vacation leave is accessible immediately, but still can’t be cashed out until after 6 months.
• ODFW Local 109 Website- local109.seiu503.org A place to learn who your leaders are, union history, current events, and latest news.  The website is maintained by ODFW Local 109 union members.

Worksite Meetings

• Interested in meeting a Steward, Officer, or Organizer?  Would you like a lunch time or after work meeting?  Contact us so we can set up something that works for your area.

Fishing for Facts: A union steward is? (a) Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln. (b) Your front-line union representative, a volunteer who is responsible for giving guidance on workplace rights, filing grievances, representation, and other organizational tasks. (c) A flight attendant on an airline whose employees are union represented. (d) Your supervisor.

Our union is member-lead, member-run, and member-worked. This means that you are the union. Our union leaders are members, they follow the direction they get from member input (that’s you), and most of the work accomplished by our union is performed by members.

Nice work, you made it to the bottom of this blog. Now pass the information you read to others that might ignore it.