Ideas for Next Bargaining

Post any ideas you have for next bargaining here. Remember to pay special attention to what is 'broken' about the current language. 18 months from now we can come back and use these ideas to make our bargaining proposals.

The End is Just the Beginning

There's just 18 months to get ready for bargaining! Yup. You read it right. ODOT Local 730 cannot wait until 2009 to start to get ready for the next round of contract bargaining.

Yes, I think we did fairly well this round. All mechanics got a leg up in their selectives. Which they worked hard for during negociations. Parts & supply specialists. Our lowest job classification got moved from Salary Range 6 to SR 8. TOS's & TMC's got SR selectives. Article 122 values are up. Also, the managment bargaining team brought language to the table to weaken our seniority rights. This was in response to a grievance & arbitration won by Our Union and Kurt Kinder of ODOT Pendleton. Your Coalition bargaining team helped them see that their proposal was backward.

But on to 2009. This session, we struggled when we could not provide numbers to back up our proposals. Occassionally we could not articulate what we were trying to fix; yes it seemed like a good idea, but why? We could not always define the group of Union Members that were affected by our proposals. We could not always say we had addressed the issue at our statewide Labor/Management meeting.

The ask. If you see something you would like to get changed in our contract start researching it now. What article of the contract do you want to change? What do you want to change? Who does it affect? Is there a cost associated? Why do you want to change the language?

You may not be able to answer all the questions but give them consideration. When you are ready to talk about them contact an ODOT Local 730 officer or activist; Troy Barnard, our statewide organizer; or your area SEIU 503 organizer.

Here is a real life example of what we are trying to accomplish. Dan Metz is the TMC 1 on the ODOT Heppner crew. Dan went to Salem and did the presentation for the TMC selective. He made an excellent presentation. TMC's did get a selective, but not what they targeted. Starting now, Dan is looking at his proposal; in light of the response by DAS, he looking for more numbers. He is researching the job descriptions for ODOT TMC's and the surrounding states and counties.
He looking to visit with fellow TMCs statewide.

This is our goal. To be completely informed about our issues. To know more than anyone at the bargaining table. To answer those questions about Who, What & Why. We have time to calmly collect our information for a year or more. We have time to present our issues at the Labor/Management forum. We have time to create success.

The Local looks forward to working with you. mac

Cameron M McGinnis
TMS2 Meacham
ODOT Local 730, President

New Union Steward

We have a new steward today out in Estacada, so welcome TMS II Steve Briggs to your local leadership.

Leadership III

ODOT members Cam McGinnis, Kurt Kinder, and Rick Favorit attended Leadership III training in Bend today. If you have not participated in any of the trainings before I encourage you to try one out. If you have, what did you learn from it?

Reclass, Selectives and COLA

This is my best attempt to explain both the reclasses and selectives and how they fit with the first year cola. If you see any mistakes, please let me know as soon as possible to avoid frustrations.

Your new salary can be calculated by taking your current salary and multiply by 1.03 (3% cola). If you make below 2667 you will receive an 80 dollar cola instead of 3%. This will apply to the majority of ODOT workers – TMS’, Office Specialists, MCEO, Electricians, etc. The following exceptions are below:

• If you have gone through a selective (see under SELECTIVES).
• If you have gone through a reclassification (see under RECLASS)

Some useful definitions:

Selective – A selective is a classification of workers (i.e. Transportation Maintenance Coordinator) changing from one salary range to another. Example: The Transportation Maintenance Coordinators getting a one range increase.

Least Cost Implementation – When a group has won a selective the change to the new range is done by putting the worker at their current salary, unless the current salary does not exist in the new range, and in this case is put at the closest step.

Reallocation and Reclassification – When DAS re-classes different job classifications the worker is put in the class DAS feels is the most appropriate including new and revised classes. If the reallocated worker feels the new allocation is not appropriate they can follow the procedure under article 81 to remedy the situation.

SELECTIVES:

TOS and TMC members who won their selective increase will see a one range increase from their current level. This means if you are at range 19 step 4 you would be moved to range 20 step 3. These selective increases only change the money for those currently at step one of their current range who would move to step 1 of the new range. Everybody will receive the cola raise and move up one range and down one step.

Traffic Survey Interviewers: Have been increased from salary range six to salary range eight. Also they will be advanced with the living wage proposal which cuts off the first three steps of salary range eight beginning November 1^st, 2008. An example is a worker at the 2^nd step of range 6 would be moved to the 1^st step of range 8 and would get an 80 dollar cola. This would increase this worker from 1468 to 1591 starting July 1^st, an 8% increase. After November 1^st, this worker will be increased to 1847. This would be an increase of over 25%.

REALLOCATION/RECLASS:

The following classifications’ changes will be implemented October 1^st, 2007. All changes in salary ranges will be done on a least cost implementation. Final allocations for individuals are not yet determined and all the following information is for the salary ranges of the new classifications.

Heavy Equipment Technician I’s: Currently at range 19T these folks will be moved to range 23T. On the current salary schedule there is no range 23T; but you can expect the T range to fall between a range 23 and 24. Right now the topped out HET I’s are at 3449. Under the re-class these folks will go to the step 5 of the newly created range 23. This is done least cost so these folks will continue to make 3449, plus the 3% cola increase. My calculator tells me this brings them to 3552. Workers at the other steps will be increased to the new 1st step in this range as well because their current salary will no exist on the new range. This means they will get an immediate raise on October 1^st and will thus start making 3552. Because of this immediate increase, their salary eligibility date will be changed to October 1^st to reflect that increase. The next increase for HET I’s will be on their salary eligibility date (step increase) and then again on November 1^st, 2008 with a 3.2% increase.

Heavy Equipment Technician II’s: Currently at range 22B, these employees will move to range 26B. A HET II at the top step, currently earning 3847, will move to the 5th step of range 26, as it is done least cost. The new salary for these mechanics will be 3962; reflecting the 3% cola. Also these employees will now be eligible for step increases on their salary eligibility date. The HET II’s at steps 5-8 will be moved from their current step to range 26B at step 5. For a HET II at the 5th step earning 3183 currently, they will start earning 3962 starting October 1^st. For those into the numbers that is a 779 dollar monthly increase, or 24.5% increase over their current salary.

Parts Specialists I’s: If you are currently a Parts Supply Specialists I and II and you are moved into Parts Specialist I you can expect to move from salary range 10 and 14 to range 15. These are done least cost so if your current salary exists in the range 15 you will move to that step. I will do a few examples from both ends of the spectrums and one in between. For a current Parts Supply Specialist who gets moved to Parts Specialist I and is at the 9th step at range 14, earning 2649, would be moved to the 8th step of range 15, at 2649, plus the cola raise which would bring this worker to 2729. At the other end of the spectrum, a brand new Parts Supply Specialist I, currently earning 1613 at the 1st step of the 10^th range, will be moved to the new range, and because the current salary does not exist in the new range will be moved to step 1 of range 15. This employee will now make 1963, plus the 80 cola raise putting them at 2043 beginning October 1^st. This employee will have received a monthly raise of 430 dollars; which equals an increase of 26.65%. Everybody else will fall somewhere in between depending on what their previous classification was. If you get an increase due to your current salary not existing on the new range your salary eligibility date will change to this date of implementation on October 1^st.

Parts Specialist II’s: For the Parts Supply Specialists who are allocated to Parts Specialists II the worker will be moved from range 16 to salary range 20. If you are at the top step at range 16 and you are moved to range 20, done least cost, you will now be at the fifth step earning 2903, plus a cola increase that will put you at 2990. For somebody at step 1, currently earning 2049 at range 16, will be increased to the 1^st step of range 20 at 2420, plus the 80 dollar cola, putting these folks at 2500. This example shows an increase of 451 dollars or an increase of 22% starting October 1^st.

Sign Technician Entry, and I’s: If you are currently a Sign Technician I and are moved into Entry you can expect to go from salary range 12 to salary range 15L^. If a worker is currently at range twelve at step one, earning 1701, is moved to the first step of the new Entry classification, they can expect to be at 1913, plus the eighty dollar cola, putting them at 1993. This would be an increase of 17.2% beginning October 1^st. For a person currently in the Sign Technician II classification who is allocated to the new Sign Technician I classification they would move from range 14 to range 19. I will put up two examples, one from both ends. Person ‘A’ is currently at step one of range 14 and is moved to step one of range nineteen. They currently started making 1837 a month and will be moved to 2258 (step one of range nineteen). In addition ‘A’ will receive the eighty dollar cola to put them at 2338. For person ‘A’ this would represent an increase of 21.7%. For person two they are currently at step 6 or range 14 and will be moving to their current salary in range 19. This will put them at step one of range 19, and after the cola raise will be at 2338. For ‘B’ this would be an increase of three and one half percent or eighty dollars a month.

Sign Technician II’s: If somebody is currently a Sign Technician III it would make sense they would be Sign Technician II’s in these revised classes, although we will not know who is where until reallocation data is in. However, based on that assumption a Sign Tech goes from range 16 to range 21. I will show three examples with person A and person B and person C: Person A is currently at step 9 of range 16, making 2717 would be moved to step three in range twenty-one and would earn after the cola increase 2798 (three percent increase from current). Person B is at step 1 of range 16 and currently earns 1999 a month. B would be moved to step 1 of range 21 and begin to earn 2480, plus the 80 dollar cola raise; which would put them at 2560. B will have gotten a 481 dollar increase or 24% increase. Person C is currently at step 3 of range 16, earning 2165, and will be moved to step 1 of range 21, bringing them up to 2560; an increase of 395 dollars or 18.2%.

Supply Specialist I’s and II’s: Supply Specialist I’s will be at range 14 which is the current range for Property Specialist II’s. If a Property Specialist II is allocated into this new classification they will not see any change resulting from the re-class on their salary. They will still get the cola raise of 3% or eighty dollars. If a Property Specialist III is allocated into Supply Specialist II they will go from range 16to range 20. If they are in step nine of range sixteen they will go from the current 2903, to step 5 at 2903 plus the cola increase that would put them at 2990. Another example would be somebody at the first step of range 16 who would be moved to the first step of range 20, going from 2049 to 2500 after cola; an increase of 451 dollars or 22%.

If there are any questions or mistakes please let me know either in the comments section (odot730.blogspot.com), or by email barnardt@opeuseiu.org