ODOT Layoffs - Monday, July 7th

AEE Members –

The lack of action by the Oregon legislators to pass a transportation funding package or provide the needed State budget for Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has led to where we are now. AEE has been informed that starting on Monday, July 7th ODOT will begin the process to layoff of employees. The current estimates that have been shared with the union as of last week are in the hundreds from a combination of management, AEE, and Oregon Public Services & Care Providor Union (SEIU) positions. There will also be hundreds of unfilled positions that have been held vacant by ODOT permanently cut as well. This translates in an estimated loss of up to*15-20%* of all funded ODOT positions statewide from what has currently been provided to AEE.

ODOT leadership has not collaborated with AEE on alternatives to layoffs even though they are contractually obligated to do so. Decisions for who will be impacted and how many employees will be laid off has all been done behind closed doors by senior management.

ODOT leadership announced on June 30th to employees that layoffs would immediately be implemented after spending the whole year promising employees that layoffs weren’t coming. A broken promise from the Governor, the Legislators, and ODOT executive leadership. Employees then were promised that they would be spoken to with a face to face interaction that week if they would be laid off and it wouldn’t just be a surprise email/letter. Another broken promise as it has been told to AEE that employees will be receiving notice on Monday July 7thwhether or not they have been previously spoken to.

The silence from ODOT executive leadership is deafening as they tell employees they are sorry for upending their lives and then retreat behind a wall of silence. Leaving front line managers with nothing to say and staff that are all just waiting for the axe to fall. Employees have not heard from Director Strickler since Monday June 30th. This failure in leadership can only be viewed as negligent in the best of light.

The reduction in staff will be fealt immediately by anyone who uses highways in Oregon as response times to any maintenance need will increase, from aiding someone with a vehicle breakdown in the shoulder, to ensuring traffic signals operate efficiently, or replacing a knocked down stop sign. Active construction projects will be delayed as construction office staff won’t be present to oversee them or the design staff are gone so the projects won’t be able to be bid as planned. All of these delays and impacts will just cost the average tax payer more in the long run along with providing a worse experience travelling the roads.

In Unity

AEE