FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2019

The proposal described today is a non-starter and lawmakers should reject it right out of the gate. It would be an immediate salary cut to the tens of thousands of teachers and public employees who educate our children, protect our safety, and serve our communities. This convoluted, confusing and ill-conceived proposal also raises serious constitutional and legal issues that would send the state into court for another lengthy and expensive lawsuit.

Additional problems and areas of concern:

• This proposal puts an unfair burden on employees who are closest to retirement, pulling the rug out from under them as they approach their golden years.
• Oregon educators already earn 22% less than their private sector counterparts. In an era when teachers across the country are standing up and walking out for higher pay, this proposal takes Oregon backwards and will harm students and schools by making it harder to recruit and retain qualified educators and increasing teacher shortages.
• This proposal requires all public employees to pay out of their own pockets to fund public education. Oregon public employees were promised a secure salary and retirement and this proposal breaks that promise and breaks faith with them. Oregon voters do not want the state’s unfunded liability paid out of the paychecks of hardworking public employees. Lawmakers should soundly reject this proposal.

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About the Keep Oregon’s Promise Coalition
The Coalition is made up of the people who teach our children, protect our life and property, repair our roads and bridges, and keep our communities healthy and safe.

Members include:

Oregon Education Association, SEIU Local 503, Oregon State Firefighters Council, Oregon
Nurses Association, AFSCME Local 75, American Federation of Teachers, Oregon School
Employees Association, Teamsters Local 223, District Council of Trade Unions, Association
of Engineering Employees, American Association of University Professors, Oregon State
Police Officers Association, Association of Oregon Corrections Employees, Portland Police
Association, Oregon PERS Retirees, Inc., Professional and Technical Employees Local 17