Corcoran to leave Senate for job on state panel

Oregon Senator Tony Corcoran, one of labor’s strongest voices in the Legislature, has been appointed by Governor Ted Kulongoski to the Employment Appeals Board, where he will rule on unemployment insurance appeals. The position begins Nov. 6, pending confirmation by the Senate. Because it’s in the Executive Branch, it would require that Corcoran resign his Senate seat — two years before his current term expires.

The new job pays $84,00 a year, but Corcoran said he’s full of regret about leaving the Senate, and is doing it because he needs to survive. Oregon’s is a citizen Legislature which meets every two years. Legislators get $1,283 a month, so they seldom survive on that job alone.

Corcoran had worked for 15 years for Service Employees Local 503, Oregon Public Employees Union. But Corcoran said it was difficult to continue working there after he helped push reforms of the Public Employee Retirement System that the union opposed.

Corcoran told the Northwest Labor Press that SEIU was “punishing” him in his union job assignment because of his position on the PERS bills. SEIU deputy director Rich Peppers has strongly denied the allegations.

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