WFP Cross-Nominees Reps. Michael Dembrow and Chris Gorsek stand with student activist Ariel Gruver and US Senator Jeff Merkley in calling for Congress to Bank on Students

Senator Merkley, who is a co-sponsor of Elizabeth Warren’s Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act, called for Congress to give students the same interest rates as big banks who borrow from the Federal Reserve, around 0.75%. If Congress doesn’t act by July 1st, interest rates on federal student loans are set to double from 3.4 to 6.8%. The average Oregon public university senior now has more than $26,000 in student debt.

State Representative Chris Gorsek (D /WFP), a co-sponsor of Pay It Forward said “Oregon has to prioritize the well-being of all of our residents, not just adults, but also students and children.” Representative Michael Dembrow (D / WFP) who is championing Pay It Forward in Salem, was also there in support.

Elizabeth Warren says: Listen to this call on the student debt crisis!

This week 11,000 activists from around the country called in to a national conference call with Senator Elizabeth Warren to address the student debt crisis.

Oregon–and the Oregon WFP–featured prominently in the call.  Alexandra Flores-Quilty, a student leader and activist from the University of Oregon, and Tom Leedham, an Oregon WFP board member and the leader of Teamsters Local 206, were also featured speakers on the call.

You can hear a recording of the call here.

The Oregon WFP is leading a campaign to create a state-based system for debt free higher education in Oregon.  It is an innovative approach that would fundamentally change the game debt-for-education treadmill system that is hurting students, hurting families, and hurting our economy.

Sen. Jeff Merkley will be holding a press conference on student debt at 11:30 on June 7th in Portland State’s Smith Memorial Student Union. Merkley, a co-signer of Elizabeth Warren’s Bank on Students bill, which would offer students the same low interest rates on loans that financial institutions receive. In addition, Ariel Gruver, a member of WFP ally Student For Educational Debt Reform, will be speaking about our debt-free higher education bill, HB 3472.

What: Jeff Merkley’s press conference on student debt.

Where: Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 238 at Portland State University (directions)

When: Friday, June 7th at 11:30 a.m.

Learn More.

Fortunately, Oregon just took a first step yesterday to change the debt-for-education treadmill that has trapped students, and trapped our economy. By a unanimous vote, the House Higher Education Committee passed HB 3472,* a proposal that Oregon Working Families has taken a leading role in pushing forward for many months now. [1]

If you want to break the debt-for-education trap, and feel we have come too far to turn back now, sign our petition in support of the Pay it Forward system for debt free higher education in Oregon.

Federal action is needed to fix many aspects of the broken higher education funding system, but the great thing about the our Pay it Forward model is it is something the state of Oregon can do right here to make college accessible to all Oregonians. Here’s how it works:

1. Students who choose to go to an Oregon public university or community college would go tuition free.

2. Then, in the same way that Social Security is a generational compact, graduates pay a small, set amount of their income into a Higher Education Fund dedicated to allowing the next generation of students to go to school tuition free.

3. Finally, graduates don’t start life after college with a massive debt, and we remove Wall Street banks–along with the interest and fees they charge for their loans–from the system altogether.

The bill that passed yesterday is a first step, but it was a big one. It directs the Higher Education Coordinating Committee to develop a Pay It Forward pilot program to be presented to the next Legislative Session for approval. Now our bill moves on to the Ways and Means Committee and then to the floor of both Houses.

With the vote yesterday the Oregon legislature is leading the country on developing a viable, state-based alternative to the debt-driven system that makes Wall Street happy, but leaves students saddled with unsustainable debt.

Don’t let the momentum die in our fight to end student debt as we know it. Sign the petition for debt free higher education in Oregon, and help Oregon lead the nation on addressing this critical issue.

“This is a huge victory for working people throughout the city of Portland, and now we need to pass this at the state level,” said Steve Hughes, State Director of Oregon Working Families. “Commissioner Fritz showed great leadership on this issue, and we commend her and the entire council for their long, hard work crafting this policy.”

40% of Portland workers—and 80% of service sector workers— don’t currently have access to sick time on the job, and stand to benefit from the passage of this ordinance.  Studies have shown that the lack of paid sick time disproportionately impacts working class people, women and people of color.  145 other countries around the world have already established earned sick time as a basic labor standard.

Oregon Working Families spent a good portion of the summer and fall talking to Portlanders about the sick days ordinance.  This field program, which together with allied organizations, knocked on just shy of 40,000 doors, found widespread popular support for the ordinance.  “We found that when you went out there and talked to every day Portlanders, this Earned Sick Days ordinance just seemed like common sense,” said Steve Hughes.

The coalition now turns its attention to statewide legislation, with Representatives Michael Dembrow and Alissa Keny-Guyer and Senators Diane Rosenbaum and Elizabeth Steiner-Hayward leading the effort in the state legislature.

WFP Co-Chair, Jeff Anderson from United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, talks to the press prior to the hearing.

Despite opposition from the Portland Business Alliance and a string of biased editorials and articles in the Oregonian, Earned Sick Days had a very successful hearing Thursday night at the City Council, with all 5 commissioners indicating they would vote in favor of the measure next week. This will require that employees earn one hour of sick leave per 30 hours worked, for up to 40 hours of sick leave per year.

Oregon Working Families has been part of a massive, year-long effort to talk to everyday Portlanders about this critical issue. Together with our allies we knocked on 39,345 doors throughout Portland and talked to 15,251 people. We delivered 6,595 letters and generated 1,327 calls to City Council in support of Earned Sick Days for all working Portlanders. But we’re not stopping here. As Earned Sick Days in Portland winds down, it’s time to focus our efforts on a statewide Earned Sick Days bill. Stay tuned for more as we gather legislative advocates and start work on ensuring all Oregonians have the right to paid sick leave.

In the mean time, join us in City Hall at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning if you want to watch this historic measure pass. It’s been a year in the making, but it’s time for Portland to have Earned Sick Days.

Tuition Equity

H.B. 2787, tuition equity, will open up Oregon’s university system to undocumented Oregonian students that are on the path to citizenship by providing them with in-state tuition rates.  It passed the House with bipartisan support, and now the Senate hearing for tuition equity will take place on Tuesday, March 19th from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. To RSVP and for information, click here. We appreciate your support!

Wage Theft

Wage theft is a growing problem in Oregon, as some employers deny overtime pay, pay workers under the table, pay less than minimum wage, or use other ways of denying their employees’ fair compensation. This session, three bills to address wage theft have been introduced in the House. H.B. 2976H.B. 2977, and H.B. 3142 will protect workers rights’, recover lost wages and prevent employers from abusing the system.

These bills will have a legislative hearing in Hearnig Room D at the Capitol on Wednesday March 13th. Come show your support for Oregonians’ right to fair wages! Click here to RSVP on Facebook. We hope to see you there!

This week, the Oregon Working Families debt-free higher education bill, Pay It Forward, was introduced in the Oregon legislature by Rep. Michael Dembrow (D / WFP). It’s the first time a bill like this is being introduced anywhere in the country, and it’s a real game-changer.

Our proposal would allow Oregon public university and community college students to pay no tuition or fees. Instead, they would pay a small percentage of their income after college into a social insurance fund that would allow other students to do the same.

There’s no debt, no interest and fees, and no predatory Wall Street lenders. It’s that simple.

Currently, Oregon’s public higher education system is in crisis. Ongoing cuts to public funding have caused tuition to sky-rocket, placing an unsustainable burden on students and families, and pricing students out of a college degree. At the same time, classes are cramped, and faculty and staff are being stretched thin.

Meanwhile, with Oregon public university students now saddled with an average of over $25,000 in student loan debt, graduates are paying hundreds of dollars a month to Wall Street lenders, and much of that only covers interest and fees. This is unsustainable for students, for families, and for Oregon’s economy.

Pay It Forward is the solution. It creates a system of public higher education that is accessible for all, and a stable funding stream to pay for it.
This is going to be a long fight, and this is only the beginning. Our bill will create a task force to draft legislation that will be considered in the 2014 legislative session. With this bill, we are taking the first step toward making debt-free higher education a reality. It’s a long term strategy, but it is one we can win with your help!

Help us win debt-free higher education for Oregon students! Sign the petition now!