History:

A Brief History of OPRI

OPRI passed a milestone in May 2007. It passed the 16-year mark since incorporation by its three original directors. In May 1991, Bill Holtsclaw, a retired Oregon state forester; Chuck Fredrickson, a retired Oregon highway construction engineer; and retired Oregon State Assistant Attorney General Jack Sollis created OPRI.

Sollis served as the secretary-treasurer from the beginning until his health began to fail. His home also served as the office, headquarters and meeting place for the OPRI board through all the years until his health failed. He died in May 2007. Fredrickson died in 2003 and Holtsclaw pre-deceased him.

After the creation of OPRI, by-laws were adopted and four more board members were added. The additional members were Ted deLooze, another retired Oregon State Assistant Attorney General; Neal Fisher, an executive department official; Ed Schroeder, another retired Oregon state forester; and Arno Denecke, a retired Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.

By August of 1991 OPRI had grown to 2,500 members -- in December the number was 3,700. By the end of 1992 OPRI membership hit 7,000 then leveled out at 8,500 in 1993. Since 1993 membership has remained between 7,000 and 8,500.

OPRI membership dues started out at five dollars a year in 1991. Dues remain five dollars a year even today!

The problem that motivated OPRI founders was a decision by the Legislature to tax the pensions of retirees from the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System. The founders believed that decision violated a contract with PERS members. The Oregon Supreme Court ultimately agreed with OPRI’s argument, but it took nearly six years before the Legislature responded to the court’s decision. Sollis and and Ed Hunter, who was the first chairman of the OPRI Litigation Fund, kept the pressure on until the Legislature finally acted to help offset the tax bite in retiree pensions. Members contributed hundreds of thousands to pay legal bills incurred in the litigation.

Soon after it was formed, OPRI established a political action committee and contracted with one of the state’s leading lobbying firms to represent active and retired OPRI members. It also created a legal arm which, over the years, has continued to file court challenges to legislation and rules adversely impacting members of the system. Both arms of OPRI are funded by member contributions. Through its legal fund, the group has won several court battles on behalf of public retirees. Most recently, the Supreme Court and a special master named by the court concluded that OPRI and other petitioners were entitled to recover attorney fees involved in the Strunk (Sartain) case. The exact amount is yet to be decided. In 2006, OPRI became a member of the PERS Coaltion which also has been fighting legal battles on behalf of PERS members. The coalition consists of a number of organizations representing public employees and retirees. If you are an OPRI member, you will continue to contribute to these legal battles through contributions to the Litigation Fund.

The OPRI Litigation Fund