Many of you know that elections are coming up for officers and delegates in our ODOT Local 730. The first notice was in the last issue of The 503 Voice. The election guidelines are also in the SEIU website; http://www.seiu503.org/.
Our nomination period opened 1 February 2008. The nomination forms are available via e-mail from our statewide organizer, Troy Barnard, or myself. The nomination forms must be returned to the Portland SEIU office no later than 5:00pm, Wednesday, 5 March 2008.
This blog will provide a place for candidates to post statements about their qualifications and motivation for seeking election. This is not required. You or someone else can submit your nomination and await the results of the election. If, however you wish to communicate with other members, here is an opportunity.
The officers are: Statewide Chief Steward, Secretary, Treasure, Vice President, President.
The delegates are of two types. Bargaining Delegates; there are 7. General Council Delegates; there are 14 delegates & 7 alternates. All serve for 2 years. Our constitution and bylaws are referenced here on this blog. The responsibilities of these folks are laid out there. One requirement all of these positions have in common is commitment. A commitment to show up. A commitment to work for the good of our Union which is made up of our membership. And a commitment to represent the interests of those members, not your own personal viewpoint.
The General Council Delegates will need to be available for General Council to be held in August 2008, Wednesday the 20th thru Saturday the 23rd. If the General Council delegates choose to decide something later in the 2 year cycle, you may be asked to caucus via mail, e-mail or telephone conference. This happens infrequently.
General Council is the ultimate decision making body of our Union. Our Union is a member run Union and member delegates write, discuss & debate resolutions and vote on those resolutions.
Bargaining Delegates are the members who negociate the collective bargaining agreement, our contract. The commitment is longer; this last session was just short of 6 months. It is not every day. Negociations are generally once a week, every other week. Toward the end it may be every week and more frequently. Speaking from experience, it can be extremely frustrating and very satisfying. You must be willing to study our collective bargaining agreement. As said above, we represent our members, so, we need to talk with them to find what their priorities are. We must ask them, and assist them to provide testimony and evidence to the bargaining teams. Lastly, we must carry the results and the reasons why back to our fellow crew members; sometimes it requires us to teach them what the language means and how to use it.
ODOT Local 730 officers are active for the 2 year duration. Statewide officers are responsible for conducting the day to day business of our Local. Again, we talk to our members daily, exploring their interests and needs. We are constantly on the search for stewards and activists. We are responsible for training our members both formally and informally. We are given a budget to accomplish all these things and have fiduciary responsibility to use that budget wisely.
Our Treasurer must have the ability to learn and use the Unions finance system. The system always requires at least two signatures which can slow the process. The Treasurer needs to able to find the time to move things along as they happen. Betty Huskey of the Office of Civil Rights is currently our Treasurer and does an outstanding job. She can answer any questions you might have about the job description.
Communication has been chosen as the number one problem by our members. Our Secretary must be willing to communicate by phone, mail and e-mail. We hope to be able to create a communication network in the near future; the Secretary will be key to establishing this network and maintaining it. The Secretary keeps record of the meetings of the Local and distributes those as needed. Mike Scott of the Grants Pass maintenance crew is currently our Secretary, coming to the position several months ago.
The Statewide Chief Steward is a resource for all of our stewards and their crews. Ideally this person brings years of experience to this position. The Chief Steward does not need to know every thing, but should have an idea where to find out. The Chief Steward helps to build our network of stewards throughout the state. Bart Cotta of the Hunters Creek maintenance crew is our current Statewide Chief Steward and the Region 3 Chief Steward.
The Vice President should be capable of helping all of the offices and delegates and may be ask to do these jobs in the absence that officer. The Vice President fills in for the President. This person may chair any committees that the Local may form. The Vice President attends the Agency Director's Labor Management meetings in Salem, in the Transportations Building, quarterly. Kermit Meling, a Senior Motor Carrier Enforcement Officer, stationed in the Barlow Building in Portland is our Vice President and can answer questions regarding the requirements of this office.
The President is the face of our Local. This person also attends the Statewide Labor Management meetings. The President is a Bargaining Delegate and a General Council Delegate. The President should be able to facilitate our members working together to achieve the goals of the Local. The President should be willing to talk to anyone in the Agency and throughout our Union. The ability to prioritize is helpful. I currently hold the office; my name is Cameron M. McGinnis. I am a TMS2 on the Meacham Section.
Please give thought to our elections and persons you think will be able to do the job. Every one of them is important. Is it time for you to step up?
mac
Cameron M. McGinnis
TMS2, Meacham Section
ODOT Local 730, President
SEIU 503, OPEU
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