County, unions headed for talks (OR)

[struggle4progress]

<snip> LTD and its workers settled in March after a 10-month stalemate, a weeklong strike and intervention by a group of labor experts. The settlement was a compromise: LTD will continue to provide the level of coverage that workers desired, but workers will pay more expenses than they did under the old contract.

Contracts expire June 30 for five of the county's seven unions: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (600 members), Lane County Peace Officers Association (300), Parole and Probation Officers (35), AFSCME Nurses (33) and Lane County Prosecuting Attorneys Association (20).

County officials strive to distinguish their situation from LTD's. For example, Oregon law bars strikes by either the peace officers association - which represents sheriff's deputies - or the parole and probation officers. County officials also say the county doesn't have a large cash reserve. By contrast, LTD had a cash reserve of about $8 million, and how to use that money was a point of contention during LTD's negotiations.

It's clear to county Administrator Bill Van Vactor that a smooth negotiation will involve workers compromising. Historically, he added, workers have occasionally gone without pay increases. <snip>

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/04/05/d1.cr.countylabor.0405.html