Oregon AFSCME v. State

Defendants Department of Administrative Services (DAS) and the Attorney General appeal a judgment granting declaratory relief to plaintiffs Oregon AFSCME and Ann Hennessy and intervenor Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) (plaintiffs). We determine that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the declaratory judgment proceeding and, accordingly, reverse and remand.

As an “accrued benefit,” the state provides employees with eight hours of “sick leave with pay” each month. In March 1995, Mark Haas, a reporter for KATU-TV, made a public records request to DAS. He sought to identify state…