The budget processes for Bureaus are coming to a close at the end of January. As you well know, the Mayor has asked Bureaus to project budgets with 4%, 6% and 8% cuts, and with PBOT also balancing a $16 million deficit. COPPEA stewards/members, Union Representative Behnaz Nelson, along with PTE Local 17 Research Director Elliot Levin, have been actively participating in various Budget Advisory Committees (BACs). COPPEA representatives have also been working closely with Bureau Directors, including BHR Director Yvonne Deckard, to understand the potential impacts. As you may know, seniority lists will not be completed until after January when the budgets are submitted and positions have officially been identified for layoff. Even then, BHR states the process of identifying seniority is detailed and arduous and has to be done by hand to take into account previous positions held by the affected employee(s). So, it may be a couple more months before we know the bumping impacts.

At the November 1st General Membership and Executive Board meeting, the E-Board voted to issue a statement of support for the Occupy Portland movement.  The motion was made and the statement drafted by the Officers.  Minor edits were adopted following a discussion at the E-Board meeting.  The following is the final adopted statement:

The City of Portland Professional Employees Association (COPPEA) represents over 700 employees in professional and technical jobs at the City of Portland.  COPPEA advocates for fairness in the workplace, opportunity for professional development, and prosperity for all working families.  Our members take our professional obligations seriously, providing excellent public services to the citizens of the Portland area.

During the recent economic recession we saw our members, colleagues, and friends lose their jobs as national banks stopped funding local development and started foreclosing on mortgages.  Two years later many of those friends remain unemployed or underemployed, have lost their healthcare coverage, have run out of unemployment benefits and are faced with no way to support their families.

Wall Street and corporate America must invest in Main Street and put people back to work.  Making credit more accessible to small businesses would directly translate to more local development and more local jobs.  Closing corporate tax loopholes would generate much needed tax revenue to support our aging public infrastructure.

COPPEA members are among the 99% of Americans who have been deeply hurt by the financial crisis and ensuing recession, and we affirm the argument of the Occupy Movement that the burden of the economic downturn should not rest solely on the backs of working families.  COPPEA agrees with the aims of the Occupy Portland movement to hold Wall Street accountable. 

 As your President, I was given the honor to be the initial speaker at the 12^th Annual Safety Committee Conference held today, November 3^rd. The following is the communication I shared with the attendees.

In an effort to streamline and modernize our operations, the Executive Board has voted to combine the Bylaws and Constitution into one document.  Additional changes have been proposed to:

• Eliminate the Associate Member category, as it has never been used. 
• Create a Past President position.  The Past President represents the Association at the Labor Management Benefits Committee and undertakes other tasks by mutual agreement with the President.
• Allow electronic voting except for a strike vote and constitutional changes. 
• Allow the E-board to adopt simple rules, based on, but not as complex as, Robert's Rules of Order. 
• Update Officer and Representative duties.
• Clarify committee appointments.
• Clarify our current rules for expenditures and financial safeguards.

The full document is available here: