Ask what the union does for you after court’s Janus decision

Most workers join a union and pay dues expecting to get benefits in return. They have no desire to get involved in union “politics”. They just want to go to their jobs and know their union will be there when needed.

When they have a problem at work, they want the union to have their backs, whether it be not getting paid properly and on time, management not following the contract, filing a grievance, etc. That’s why workers join unions and pay dues in the first place.

When you pay money to an organization, you expect the organization to take care of business and not make demands of you. You do not expect to get involved in the day-to-day operation of the organization, because that’s what you’re paying them to do.

Unions are unique in that members make up the union. However, the dues collected from members pay the salaries of the union staff. When the union staff forgets that fact, unions veer off course.

Examples include: members not getting their calls returned in a timely manner, meeting schedules not being posted and members not being informed of exactly how their dues are being spent.

The Janus Supreme Court decision makes paying dues optional and not mandatory.

Unions need to start asking “What can the union do for the member in this era post Janus?”

Otherwise, workers won’t pay dues and unions will cease to exist.

Avery Horton

Bandon

Sally Russell should be Bend mayor

I met Sally Russell in fall of 2013 through one of her family members, and started working with her shortly after. 

I was immediately impressed and inspired by her hard work ethic in every aspect of her life. Sally shows her commitment to her work, community, family and self-growth everyday with all her heart.

She supports the growth of this beautiful town; however, she always keeps in mind the challenges the community faces as the population grows rapidly. Sally truly understands the unique beauty of Central Oregon as her heritage dates back to her family traversing to this region on the Oregon Trail.

Sally was born in Oregon and has lived in Bend for over 30 years through the significant ups and downs of this town. It is deeply important to Sally to protect and to preserve the land she and her fellow Bendites love, while mindfully expanding the region to accommodate the rapid growth.

I believe Sally is able to bring positive change to Bend because she cares about the sustainability of this town, whether it be of the environment which surrounds it, affordability for people who live in it or a thriving economy fuels by local business which sustains it. 

Lisa Yoshino

Bend

Bend must do better to preserve trees

Recently a very disturbing event occurred right behind our clinic off Northeast Purcell.

My colleagues and I watched as heavy equipment twisted, chopped and yanked a dozen 100 year old trees out of the ground.

Never have I witnessed such a thing and words fall short to describe how shocking and sad it was. Within a couple of hours an entire field of trees was destroyed, thrown into a heap and scooted off to leave leveled dirt.

No birds, no butterflies, no deer, no life, all gone.

It makes me sick still to think about it and it would do the same to anyone who witnessed it, The impact, albeit small on its own, is what is being done all over Bend and other cities.

So it isn’t small at all, and now we get a little less nature and a little more carbon dioxide in exchange for 60 townhouses, thank you very much. I understand development, but I don’t understand indiscriminate leveling. And I don’t believe this is a one or the other proposition.

I think we can have both.

Our city can demand a homeowner to preserve a historical building on their own property, but a developer can clear cut acres of land with trees with few, if any, restriction.

Come again?

We need to change this, set limits, offer incentives. Do something! Whatever it takes, why not make the preservation of trees and wild space a priority before we destroy the little space that’s left?

Dena Persell

Bend

The preceding letter was rerun because the last few sentences were mistakenly omitted.