[ODF_Private_Forests] ODF Agency Budget Implementation and Next Steps

[WEEKS Kevin]

Private Forests News service members:

Information from the ODF Leadership Team regarding implementing the 2009-11 Budget.
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From: SEELY Clark W
Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 3:10 PM


Hi everyone…we wanted to give you another update on our where we are in implementing budget reductions for the 2009-2011 biennium, which began July 1.

As we’ve mentioned in past messages, due to declining revenues in State Forests – the  result of falling timber prices – we felt we needed to go ahead with planned layoffs there. Those layoffs, and the related changes resulting from the bumping process, were effective on July 1.

Unfortunately, we have more layoffs ahead as we implement the agency budget that received final Legislative approval before the 2009 session ended on June 29. These are focused in Private Forests, which is experiencing a major General Fund reduction.

This week, the executive team decided on the schedule for delivering those layoff notices.

In Salem, the affected employees will receive their notices on Tuesday, July 14. Employees in the Southern Oregon Area will receive notices on July 15, and in the Northwest Oregon Area on July 16. In the Eastern Oregon Area, the dates are August 3 in the Northeast Oregon District, August 4 in the Central Oregon District, and August 18 in the Klamath-Lake District.

The effective date for all the layoffs will be September 18.

Layoffs often mean difficult decisions for employees and their families, and we want to make sure we have an opportunity to go over the specific options for each affected employee. So, as we did with the State Forests layoffs, we’ll deliver and discuss each notice in person, with a supervisor and someone from Human Resources present.

The details of the layoff process, and the options available to employees through bumping, are specified in our union contract. One of the contract provisions is that bumping occurs within the geographic area in which an affected employee works – Salem, the Northwest or Southern Oregon Areas, and, in the Eastern Oregon Area, each district.

During the week of July 20, Human Resources will begin its review of the options that employees have chosen. Regrettably, this will mean that more of our colleagues will be leaving the agency. Others will exercise bumping rights, which likely will mean more displacements, and changes in work duties across the agency.

Because the bumping process is largely driven by seniority, we have continued our approach of issuing initial layoff notices to employees with the least seniority wherever possible, to minimize subsequent displacement.

Stimulus planning, other activities continuing

We’re continuing to work aggressively to obtain federal stimulus dollars, which we believe will provide opportunities – many of them involving administering fuels reduction projects – for some employees affected by the layoffs.

We will soon be sending a separate message about our growing efforts in that regard, including more effectively securing and managing grant dollars and other outside funds generally.

In the coming months, we will also continue our plans to restructure our agency to most effectively accomplish our mission with the reduced resources we have. In particular, this will likely mean some significant changes in the structure and function of our Private Forests Program.

In closing

These continue to be the most challenging of times. The loss of staff – our most valuable asset – and the personal effects of layoffs on employees and their families, are unfortunate. So is the loss of service, commitment and expertise that make this agency such an asset to the state.

We are doing all we can to alleviate these consequences through our management of the layoff process, aggressive pursuit of stimulus dollars, and cost-saving measures. However, we will continue to face these difficulties through this economic downturn, doing the best we can to serve our customers with the resources available.

Once again, we thank you for the great work you do – especially in the face of such uncertainty and change.

As always, please feel free to speak with your supervisor or a member of the executive team if you have questions.

Best regards,

Paul Bell,                                                        Nancy Hirsch, Chief
Associate State Forester                                 State Forests Division

Jim Paul, Chief                                               Clark Seely, Chief
Private Forests Division                                  Administrative Services Division