About SEIU Local 503, OPEU

About SEIU Local 503, OPEU

Our mission is to improve the quality of life through worker empowerment and a progressive labor movement.
Represented Workers by Employer Group (numbers are approximate)
SEIU Local 503, OPEU represents over 45,000 workers in Oregon.

19,000	Oregon State Department of Administrative Services
13,000	Homecare workers
6,000	Childcare providers
3,600	Oregon University System classified staff
1,500	Nursing Home workers
700	Private non-profit health care facility workers
3,000	Adult Foster Care providers

Our History
The history of SEIU Local 503, Oregon Public Employees Union is an important part of the history of progressive, democratic trade unionism within Oregon and the nation.

SEIU Local 503 members joined with other progressive locals throughout the nation and transformed SEIU into one of the fastest-growing, most democratic trade unions in North America. Our union continues to support – both in the workplace and in the community – the shift by our international union and the Change to Win Federation to bring more workers into the labor movement through an unprecedented commitment to organize the unorganized.

How We Make Decisions
Policy is developed and adopted by member leaders elected throughout Oregon.

The highest governing body of SEIU Local 503, OPEU is our General Council . Any member can run for election to be one of the 380-plus delegates to this convention, held biennially in even-numbered years. It is at this convention that we adopt our budget , and through submission of resolutions, discuss and adopt policies and goals that affect our union. Our Board of Directors governs the union between General Councils to monitor and carry out the policies that have been set. The Board of Directors meets every other month, and consists of the elected District Directors and five Statewide Officers; President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Immediate Past President and Executive Director.

An Executive Committee , made up of the Statewide Officers and three Board members elected by the Board to serve on this committee, meets during the months when the full Board of Directors does not.

CAPE — Citizen Action for Political Education — is the non-partisan political arm of our union. This group of about 30 members is elected from all areas of the state. It makes recommendations to the Board of Directors on candidate endorsements and contributions in various races. Candidates are recommended for support based on interviews, their responses to a survey, and their voting record on working people’s issues.

Administration
The elected Executive Director heads up the administrative team, which includes the President, Assistant Executive Director, Field Coordinators, the Political and Communications departments, the External Organizing Director and the Operations Director. Staffing decisions, union operations, and strategic planning are administrative functions. The day-to-day operations of the union are carried out by the dedicated organizers and support staff working with the administrative team.