Posted: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 12:00 am
Negotiations with Lebanon school district started
in February
LEBANON - Lebanon classified employees made impassioned pleas Monday for raises as they and the Lebanon School Board continue to negotiate a new contract.
The two sides have been bargaining since last February and have met twice with a state mediator. A third session is scheduled for Jan. 15.
Zelda Uhden and Lynette Lown, who both work with special-needs children at Cascades Elementary School, spoke during the board's public comment period Monday to ask for higher wages.
Lown, a personal care assistant who has been with the district 14 years, said her salary - the highest possible for her job title, she said - is 60 cents below starting wage for a counterpart in Salem.
"I don't want to go to Salem. I love this area and I want to stay with these kids," she said. "I don't want a party package. I just want to buy groceries."
Some of their Lebanon colleagues, particularly those on single incomes, are facing housing costs or home repairs they cannot afford because of loss of hours or lack of raises, the two said.
James Sundell of the Oregon Education Association, the union's consultant, also spoke, affirming their statements and saying some employees are having to choose between insurance and house payments. The district is offering a raise, he acknowledged, but it isn't high enough to bring employees in line with their counterparts statewide.
The district has offered a three-year settlement with annual salary increases tied to the Consumer Price Index, starting at 3.4 percent this year. Step increases average 2.86 percent.
The district also has offered to increase its monthly insurance contribution in each of the three years, matching contributions by teachers, which are currently being renegotiated. The first year, the offer is for $780 per month.
Board member Debi Shimmin told the employees she understands the situation but the state's economic situation has to be taken into account.
Jennifer Moody