Smaller Harvest, Little Trees and Fewer Staff in Coos District

Seven employees of the Oregon Department of Forestry received layoff notices on Monday, March 11^th as a result of the reduced harvest level now planned for the Coos District.  For the past 10 years their harvest had been between 25 and 30 million board feet (MMBF) and is now set at 15 MMBF.  This harvest will be primarily from younger and smaller trees similar to those removed from forests managed mostly for timber production by large private owners.  Previous harvests on the Coos District included trees that grew following forest fires in the mid to late 1800’s.

How will this effect Oregon’s rural economy?  From the timber harvest standpoint the loss of 15 MMBF of timber harvest equates to the loss of 165* direct forest sector jobs. These are the family wage jobs prized anywhere and cherished in rural areas.  There is also the threat to infrastructure like the mill in Douglas County that takes logs and turns them into timbers for timber frame homes.  Wood homes sequester carbon and these timber frame homes really look spectacular doing it.

These layoffs are also a big loss of skill from the Coos District.  One person who received a lay off notice has more than 30 years, and another more than 25 years of experience of working in Oregon’s Forests.  Others with homes and family face major changes in their lives and disruption in the communities where they live.

Please write your Oregon Legislator and ask them to help restore harvest levels on the Coos District and bring jobs back to Coos Bay.

* Oregon Forest Resources Institute 2012 Forest Report “Poised to Rebound”; 1 MMBF of timber harvested creates or retains 11 direct forest sector jobs.

Forestry Bargaining Began February 5, 2013

ODOT Coalition bargaining, of which Forestry is a part, began Tuesday night February 5th. At this and the next meeting scheduled for March 5th is where our proposals will be handed back and forth, with the real discussions on of the proposals coming March 19th.  Forestry specific proposals given to the Local from Management were clean-up language putting the current name of the Department of Forestry into the contract and a proposal to incorporate the Work Capacity Test in the body of the contract and make changes to the health and safety part of the test.  The Local did not have any proposals to share across the table.

Representing the Local were delegates Doug Firoved and Dave Wells, who were joined by member Jim Neuman.  Representing Management were Human Resource Generalists, Heidi Steiner and Dan Jones.  All members of the Local are invited to attend.

Bargaining is being held at the OPRD Salem Headquarters located at 725 Summer Street NE and the Coalition meets at 5:30 pm with actual face to face bargaining beginning about 6:30 pm.  The next meetings are scheduled for March 5 and 19, April 2, 16, and 30.  No dates have been scheduled into May.  A Forestry Conference call is scheduled for Sunday February 10th at 6:00 to discuss proposals and orgainize for the contract campaign, the phone number is available from welpt@seiu503.org.

Winter Forestry Statewide Meeting, January 27, 2013

Our next Forestry Local Statewide meeting will be held on January 27^th in Eugene at the Valley River Inn in conjunction with the biennial Stewards Conference and DAS/ OUS Bargaining Conference.  Our meeting will run from 0800 to 0900 before the start of the Bargaining conference set to begin at 0930.  Breakfast will be provided.

The primary focus will be to solidify/  re-establish local leadership and build communication pathways prior to the start of bargaining.

Registration information for the Stewards and DAS/OUS Conferences are available at the SEIU 503 website.

ODOT Coalition Bargaining is tentatively set to begin the evening of Tuesday, February 5^th in Salem.

Bargaining Surveys Look for Better Ideas

What are your priorities for our next contract, wages, health insurance, or something else?  Well now through November 1, 2012 bargaining surveys are available on-line at the SEIU 503 website or through your organizer to get your thoughts down in writing.

Do you have an idea that should be addressed at the bargaining table?  Two years ago Central Oregon Firefighters thought that Agency firefighters who were laid off in good standing should be able to apply for Agency Internal job offerings.  Using that idea, contract language was developed, considered at the bargaining table, and eventually adopted.  Without that initial idea none of that would of happened.

What are your ideas?

Forestry Statewide Meeting - October 14th in Eugene

The next Forestry Local 629 Statewide meeting will be on Sunday, October 14th from 10am to 1pm at the Eugene SEIU Office.  The office is located in the basement (not as bad as it sounds) of the Oregon Community Credit Union.

The agenda includes:

• What are your Bargaining ideas
• What will it take to be successful in our 2013 contract
• Report from our last Labor/ Management meeting
• For Seasonal Employees, what would you like to see on ODF's website?
• President's and Treasurer's reports
• Promotional item purchase

An optional pro-worker candidate phone calling will run from 1pm to 2:30pm.

Crowd Sourcing Improvements

At our last Labor/ Management (L/M) meeting our Deputy State Forester (now acting State Forester) Paul Bell asked if our outreach for agenda items was good enough, are we hearing what is going on. I want to know that too.

We, the crowd, are a source of ideas to improve our service delivery and make changes or affirm processes that continually improve how we do business and operate in our workplaces. Labor/ Management meetings are one way to bring those ideas forward. Pretty much un-filtered they are heard by the Deputy State Forester and Human Resource Chief as they are presented by your elected union leadership. The recent publication “Out of State Dispatch” came in part because of an agenda item from one of our meetings. Now in one place you can know a little more about what to expect before you go out of state to help on an incident.

Rumor Control is another agenda item. What are you hearing that needs to be checked out? Our Committee may not have all of the “Myth Busters” tools but do a pretty good job of finding out the real or developing story behind a rumor.

Paul put a good question to us “are we doing enough” to find out what the issues and rumors are within the Department? That is our responsibility as your union leadership to seek out and be available to field these ideas and concerns. Look up Bryan, Doug, Tim or myself, we are all in different geographic areas and also as close as your phone or e-mail. I want to know.

I Did My Part

About a year from now (May 2013) the State of Oregon will release its revenue forecast for the next two years. At that point whatever was talked about in bargaining will shift from the many issues to the big two: wages and PEBB health care. Bargaining success will depend, at least in part, on a budgets prepared that lower the health care cost shift to the employee and inclusion of step and cost of living increases.

As forest firefighters, Stewardship Foresters, managers of our State Forests, and support staff you do your part in keeping Oregon’s real green economy going. Firefighters you fight forest fires aggressively and provide for public and personal safety first. Stewardship Foresters you ensure that streams flow clean and clear and reforestation is successful following a timber harvest. Foresters you manage state forest lands for sustainable harvests providing a range of social, environmental, and economic benefits. Support staff you provide the infrastructure to keep everything working smoothly. All of this is important to Oregon’s economy, image and forestry leadership. In May 2013 when bargaining focuses on wages and health care, hold your head high knowing that “I did my part” for Oregon with the expectation that those preparing the budget will have done the same.