Management at Oregon Public Broadcasting had an interesting wage proposal for 26 workers represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 503: No raises for the next three years.
Adding to the consternation: OPB CEO Steve Bass emailed non-union employees in June announcing a $1,000 bonus they would receive in addition to raises. Local 503 says that wasn’t offered to represented employees or put on the table during contract negotiations.
In 2019, Bass received total compensation of nearly $532,000, according to OPB’s tax records.
SEIU’s most recent three-year contract with OPB expired June 30, and the two sides have been negotiating a new contract. Workers and union supporters held an informational picket on Aug. 2.
SEIU-represented jobs at OPB include TV production tech, studio coordinator, master control operator, help desk specialist, accountant, graphic designer, network center support tech, videographer/editor, post-production editor, maintenance engineer, mail clerk, receptionist and member center rep.
