SEIU 503 State Worker Bargaining Survey September 2020

2020 Bargaining Survey

2020 has been a challenging year for all of us - a pandemic, continued violence against Black and brown people in our country, an economic recession leading to record unemployment, and now wildfires like we haven’t seen in recent history have ravaged much of the state. Through all of these struggles, our members working for the State of Oregon have been in every corner of our state fighting fires, getting folks their unemployment and other desperately needed benefits, keeping our roads safe, and working to get this pandemic under control, among countless other essential services that Oregonians rely on. 


In short, We are Essential.


We head into bargaining in a much different financial reality than we did two years ago. Instead of record revenue and a plan to raise taxes on corporations we’re looking at a record budget shortfall. Our work during bargaining will be critical in order to win a fair contract that defends our pay and benefits that we have fought so hard for and includes improvements on key issues that improve working conditions and recognizes the essential work we do every day. In times like these, we need to look to key non-economic issues as well as economic issues we can win on. 


To do this we must: 

  1. Win in November. In order to win at the state level we must see federal funding for states, meaningful federal support requires having a president that will stand with workers and prioritize resources for states as well as electing a majority pro-working family Senate and House.
  2. Lobby the legislature to use those federal funds to prevent cuts and invest in key services, and to pass additional revenue as necessary to protect the critical services our members provide.
  3. Engage our membership in every agency to put pressure on decision-makers to win a strong contract that addresses the issues our members care most about. This means building our membership base, engaging member leaders in the campaign in worksites, and building a strong field campaign to create pressure on decision-makers. 

The goal of this survey is to get quantifiable data on issues and priorities. After you fill out this survey you will get a link to a follow up survey where you can share specific proposal ideas, if interested. Filling out this survey is the first step of this campaign, together we will show the State we are all essential.

This form is customized especially for
If this is not you, do not complete this form!



†By providing my phone number, I understand that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), its local unions, and affiliates may use automated calling technologies and/or text message me on my cellular phone on a periodic basis. SEIU will never charge for text message alerts. Carrier message and data rates may apply to such alerts. Reply STOP to stop receiving messages; reply HELP for more information.


About your job





Wages and Benefits

During the last bargaining cycle we were able to pass historic revenue reform that led to salary increases at levels we hadn’t seen in decades — including a new top step. Nearly two years later its hard to believe how different things look. While Oregon has been able to weather this recession better than many states because of the revenue reform we helped pass, our state is still in a dire financial situation. We’re reeling from a worldwide pandemic, record unemployment, and now a devastating wildfire season. Without federal funding for states we will likely be looking at massive cuts proposals from the state, and with federal funding we need to be prepared to fight to protect jobs, wages and benefits by being clear about our priorities. 


A note on PERS: We don’t bargain over PERS issues, but we do expect to see proposals around PERS at the Legislature. We will send out separate, PERS-specific survey questions later in the process to get member feedback.


Given that context, please answer the following questions relating to wages and benefits:




Please rank the following economic issues in order of importance







Working Conditions


Continued Expansion of Telework. During this pandemic we’ve been able to greatly increase access to telework, though not for everyone.
1 (very important) 2 3 4 5 (not at all important)









Page 5

Optional Demographic Information
SEIU Local 503 is committed to honoring the diversity of all members. This optional demographic information helps us understand the social identities of our membership. If you prefer to skip this page, scroll to the bottom and click on the "Next Page" button.












Contact Information