Our annual Labor Day Picnic is coming up on
Monday, September 6th at Oaks Park, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

This is a fun, family-friendly event and all members are invited to attend (represented employees who are not currently members can sign a yellow membership card at the event). BBQ lunch is provided for all members and their families/guests as well as drink tickets, and we also provide up to 5 FREE all-day ride bracelets per member (additional ride bracelets can be purchased). Bring your friends or families for a fun day in the park! Look for the AFSCME Local 88 sign-in table when you arrive. Please see the attached flyers regarding the picnic and parking.

[ Picnic Flyer ]

[ Picnic Parking Information ]

Amendment #1 “Keep current dues cap of $65 until December 31, 2010″:
YES  89%
NO  11%

Amendment #2 “Starting January 1, 2011…”:
Option A “Keep Dues Cap”: 78%
Option B “Remove Dues Cap”: 22%

Questions on Amendment #1

Introduction:  An informational session was held at AFSCME on August 9, 2010 to discuss the possible formation of a Library District. People attended from Local 88 leadership (Michael Hanna, Grant Swanson, Larry Randall, Tom Newsom, Janet Irwin), Local 88 Staff representative (Eileen Tilque), Library HR Manager (Shelly Kent), Director (Vailey Oehlke) , Deputy Director (Becky Cobb), Library Foundation (Merris Sumrall), represented staff from several locations, and AFSCME political staff (Joe Bassler).

Vailey’s opening remarks: Right now there are lots of unknowns, so we are focusing on the November 2, 2010 ballot initiative where there is a vote on whether to change the County Charter to allow for the option of creating a Library District in the future. If the November 2nd ballot initiative is approved, the Board of County Commissioners would have to vote to move a second ballot initiative in front of the voters that would create the Library District .

Background of how we got here. Annual MCL budget is $62 million from the levy and the general fund. These are volatile funding sources. 22% of these funds are coming from the county’s general fund and the other 65% is from the levy. The remaining 13% comes from other sources. The portion of our budget from the county has been decreasing from a historic high of around 70% down to the current 22%. Our current levy ends in June 2012. We are up for a levy vote every 4-5 years. We have these 2 lump sums of money, the general fund and levy, that have different pressures on them. Several folks in this community want to find a more stable way to fund the library. One good thing about a Library District (LD) is a single source of money that will remain dedicated to the library. It would be subject to the ups and downs of property taxes. A Library funding task force was formed and met for about 18 months to come up with various funding models. The recommendation from this committee was to look at a LD for more stable funding. The Charter Review Committee recommended a LD as well and submitted their findings in the form of measure 26-114 .

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Questions on Amendment #1

Q: Why do we have to have the retroactive vote?
A: Currently the Local 88 Constitution states that there is a monthly dues cap of $65 for all employees represented by Local 88, but that dues cap was set to expire on July 1, 2009. Due to the wage freeze and economic conditions, we voted at our March 18, 2009 General Membership meeting to extend that dues cap until July 1, 2010. After reviewing our Constitution recently, however, it was discovered that even though the vote to extend the cap was valid, it was not a valid method to amend the Constitution. Consequently, we must follow our process for amending our Constitution as outlined in Article IX (Local 88 Constitution on the Local 88 website: http://www.afscmelocal88.org/local-88-2/constitution-bylaws/). This is essentially a housekeeping measure; in order to make sure our Constitution reads correctly.

Q: Will the County or Union collect back dues if the retroactive vote doesn’t pass?
A: The County will not collect retroactive dues, and Local 88 has no plan to collect them.

Questions on Amendment #2

Q: What happens if Option A passes?
A: If Option A passes, the current cap of $65 will remain in place until December 31, 2010. Then it may or may not increase, depending on whether or not AFSCME members nationwide received an average increase in wages. There will still be a cap, and it will remain in place each year, to be increased incrementally. We think that any increase this year will likely be minimal due to the current economy.

Q: What happens if Option B passes?
A: If Option B passes, the current cap of $65 will remain in place until December 31, 2010. As of January 1, 2011, there will be no cap. Everyone will pay dues of 1.4% of their base wage.

[ Click "more..." for more questions and voting locations ]

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Currently the Local 88 Constitution states that there is a monthly dues cap of $65 for all members, but that dues cap was set to expire on July 1, 2009. Due to the wage freeze and economic conditions, we voted at our March 18, 2009 General Membership meeting to extend that dues cap until July 1, 2010. After reviewing our Constitution recently, however, it was discovered that even though the vote to extend the cap was valid, it was not a valid method to amend the Constitution. Consequently, we must follow our process for amending our Constitution as outlined in Article IX (Local 88 Constitution on the Local 88 website: http://www.afscmelocal88.org/local-88-2/constitution-bylaws/).

An amendment to properly extend the dues cap was presented and read at the Wed, July 21 General Membership meeting. Additionally, two options for the dues cap from January 1, 2011 forward was presented (see attached document for the proposed amendments, or visit: http://www.afscmelocal88.org). As per our Constitution, the proposed amendments will also be presented at the subsequent Wed, August 18 General Membership meeting and finally voted on by a ballot box vote on September 1, 2010. If you are interested in this issue, please attend the General Membership meeting on August 18 and be sure to vote on September 1, 2010. Detailed information about the times and locations for the September 1, 2010 vote will be sent.

Timeline:

• August 18, 2010: Proposed constitutional amendments are read to the General Membership meeting, debated, edited, and finalized language is voted on
• September 1, 2010: Amended Constitution language is voted on by all members with a ballot box vote
• September 2010 [TBD]: Amended Constitution is sent to AFSCME International to be approved
• January 1, 2011: Once approved by AFSCME International, new dues rates (with or without a cap) take effect

Full Text of Proposed Amendments (PDF)

Check your current and potential monthly dues using our
DUES CALCULATOR

Note to Local 88 Brothers and Sisters: Council 75 and Local 88 are NEUTRAL on this Measure.  This is provided as information on upcoming ballot initiatives.

By Nigel Jaquiss | Willamette Week
July 14th, 2010

Click here for arguments in favor from the Good for Oregon Committee.

One initiative likely to make the Oregon ballot this November is a proposal that would greenlight development of a private casino in east Multnomah County.

Matt Rossman, one of the project’s two local developers, makes a powerful argument for the casino: Oregon would get 2,000 new jobs and 25 percent of the casino’s gross revenue—about $120 million—without investing a penny. And unlike Oregon’s nine tribal casinos, the project would pay property and income taxes—lots of them. “Our model creates a big return for the state,” Rossman says.

Click here for arguments against the measure from ECONorthwest.

But opponents are already marshaling their arguments for what’s shaping up as one of Oregon’s biggest-bucks ballot issues.

One of their concerns is that voter approval would set a precedent by locking a monopoly on private gambling into the Oregon Constitution.

“I’m not a lawyer, but what I don’t understand is how anybody can get a constitutionally protected monopoly,” says ECONorthwest’s Bob Whelan, who analyzed the private casino proposal for the Oregon Tribal Gaming Alliance.

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Click the link below to view the blog entries from Local 88 President, Michael Hanna, on the daily happenings at the AFSCME International Convention in Boston.  Today’s entry is quite a doozy…

[ Local 88 Daily Boston Blog ]

Local 88 President, Michael Hanna

The wage freeze members voted in for Fiscal Year 2010 (July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010) has saved nearly 100 jobs and the County services that they provide, but it has been difficult financially for many members. This freeze will end on July 1, 2010. Effective July 1, 2010, all Local 88 represented employees will be receiving a 2% COLA increase, which is the minimum COLA guaranteed by our contract. The COLA each year is adjusted based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W), and this index came in at 0.7% this year, but since we have a minimum COLA of 2%, we will be receiving 2%. Also effective July 1, 2010, step increases will resume, so each of you who are eligible for a step increase will receive your step increase now on your next county anniversary date after July 1, 2010.

Local 88 VP Grant Swanson, Karol Collymore, Loretta Smith, Local 88 President Michael Hanna (l to r)

The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 88, representing over 3000 workers of Multnomah County, Transition Projects Inc. and Central City Concern concluded their endorsement process for Multnomah County District 2 Commissioner on Wednesday, June 16, 2010.

The endorsement process included a Candidate Forum, in addition to the individual candidate written and verbal interviews earlier this month. The Candidate Forum, held before the General Membership meeting, allowed the two Multnomah County District 2 Commissioner candidates—Karol Collymore and Loretta Smith—to respond to questions submitted directly by the members. Concluding the Forum, members had a vigorous discussion and voted on their endorsement selections.

By a very close vote, the members passed a dual endorsement of both Karol Collymore (www.karolcollymore.org) and Loretta Smith (www.electlorettasmith.com).

A dual endorsement is a rare event, but it is also uncommon to have two such strong candidates. Members who supported Karol Collymore spoke of her existing work experience with District 2, having served on Jeff Cogen’s staff while he was District 2 Commissioner, her work on numerous local community projects in north and northeast Portland, and her strong grassroots support coming out of the primary election. Members who supported Loretta Smith noted her experience of working in Senator Wyden’s office and her intimate knowledge of federal funding sources and national political contacts. Since this endorsement supports both candidates, AFSCME Local 88 encourages its members to check out the candidates’ web sites and contact the candidate that they support the most and volunteer directly with that candidate. AFSCME Local 88 thanks the two candidates and members who participated in this democratic process.

Contact Michael Hanna, President of AFSCME Local 88, or Grant Swanson, Vice-President of AFSCME Local 88 for additional information.

Click here to view or download the full Press Release (PDF).

Ricky Gilmore, after 28 years with the county, and Chris Tobkin, after 15 years with the county are retiring at the end of June.  Both have been instrumental in the growth and strength of Local 88.  Ricky has an encyclopedic knowledge of bargaining and our contract and Chris Tobkin has been a chief steward and champion of workers in the county for nearly all of her time with the county.  Both are well-known in Local 88 for their big hearts and sense of justice.  They will be missed.

Their freedom in retirement leaves a void for Local 88 and they will be missed!  But we congratulate them and wish them well.  Join us in celebrating their accomplishments and presence in our lives:

Ricky Gilmore’s Retirement Party
Location:  The Fleet Shops at the Blanchard Building, North Dixon Street in Portland
Date:  Friday, June 25th 12:30 -1:30 PM
Cake and punch will be provided.

Chris Tobkin’s Retirement Party
Location:  The Mead Building, 7th Floor
Date:  Tuesday, June 29th 11 AM – 1 PM