Please e-mail, call, or write to President William E. Kirwan and demand that OSU meet Local 4501's demands.
The address, e-address, & phone number are as follows:
President William E. Kirwan 205 Bricker Hall 190 N. Oval Mall Columbus, OH 43210-1357 <Kirwan.1 at osu.edu> Phone: (614) 292-2424
And contact the office of the OSU Board of Trustees:
The Ohio State University Board of Trustees 210 Bricker Hall 190 North Oval Mall Columbus, OH 43210 Phone: (614) 292-6359 Fax: (614) 292-5903
The names of the trustees are available at <http://www.osu.edu/offices/trustees/membership/index.html>.
For further info, contact Gary A. Josephson: CWA, Local 4501 27 Euclid Ave. Columbus, OH 43201-2529 Phone: (614) 294-5265
Yoshie
***** _The Lantern_ April 3, 2000
OSU union OKs deadline for strike
Travis James Tritten Lantern staff writer
Around 2,000 Ohio State service and trade workers voted Saturday to strike if an agreement cannot be made with the university by the end of April.
The Communications Workers of America Local 4501, which includes OSU janitors, bus drivers and electricians, is demanding an immediate $2 per hour pay hike and better opportunities for advancement.
Ninety-two percent of the union's membership were in favor Saturday of striking.
Union President Gary Josephson said the university has continued to ignore Communications Workers of America grievances.
"We have mistakenly dragged things out thinking the university was interested in fixing things," Josephson said.
The Communications Workers of America said 25 percent of their membership earns less than $8 per hour and that some are exposed to safety risks such as handling biohazardous waste at the OSU Hospitals.
Union member Bob Farley said Communications Workers of America members have been underpaid and ignored by the university for a long time.
"For the last 10 to 20 years they've treated us like their stepchildren and not part of the family," he said.
The local's contract with the university expired on Friday, but OSU spokeswoman Elizabeth Conlisk said the university is negotiating in good faith and hopes to see an agreement made soon.
"We are working very hard to get a fair contract for the workers," she said.
Wages are the largest issue of negotiations, and the union's proposed pay hike is a source of disagreement, Conlisk said.
"Their wage request is probably greater than what the university is willing to offer," she said.
Josephson said the union is required by law to give a 10-day notice before striking, but it is likely they will not make the announcement for several weeks.
Terryl Davis, an electrician who has been employed by OSU for 22 years, said the union sees the vote as a powerful message to management that a new agreement must be made.
"This tells them that we are very serious," Davis said. "I think the university needs to respond."
The university and the union will meet at the bargaining table again on April 11 to attempt to negotiate a new contract. Conlisk said that the university is hopeful of a forthcoming agreement, but the union was resolute on holding its ground.
"The way it looks now, we may be on the picket line by the end of the month," Farley said.
In the meantime, the union will be staging two lunchtime protest rallies on the OSU campus. They will be held Wednesday on the Oval and Thursday at the OSU Medical Center.
http://www.thelantern.com/archives/gendisp.asp?id=954771021281 *****
***** _The Lantern_ April 5, 2000
University workers deserve wage raise - Editorial
Countless letters and columns written to the Lantern have complained that an unfair gap exists between students and administration at Ohio State. Well, it is clear now that students are not the only ones complaining.
Around 2,000 OSU service and trade workers voted Saturday to strike if the university continues to ignore their grievances. The workers are demanding an immediate $2 per hour pay raise and better opportunities for advancement.
Ninety-two percent of the OSU union, the Communications Workers of America Local 4501, which includes OSU janitors, bus drivers and electricians, agreed to follow through with the strike if demands are not met by the end of April.
The largest issue of negotiation for the union is pay, as workers assert that they have been underpaid and ignored by the university for a long time. However, spokesmen for the university have said that the union's wage request is probably greater than what the university is willing to offer.
We feel that the union's demands are not unreasonable and should be met.
According to the Communications Workers of America, 25 percent of their membership earns less than $8 per hour, an estimated $2 to $3 less than the minimum wages earned by the same professions at comparable universities. It is not too much to ask simply to be paid the norm, especially from a university so large and prosperous? Eight dollars per hour is not a salary that a person can easily live on.
Even more unfair, some OSU employees are exposed to serious safety risks, such as handling biohazardous waste at the OSU Hospitals. Such demanding work deserves higher pay.
To give union workers a raise would not significantly dent the OSU pocketbook. Just this school year, we have seen large salary raises given our president, many high administrators and our football and basketball coaches. Couldn't OSU spare a little more to take care of the people that take care of this university?
Also, OSU has spent millions renovating campus and athletic facilities over the past few years. Obviously, it is by no means beyond the capabilities of this university to meet the union's demands.
OSU's service and trade workers are just as much a part of the "OSU family" as students, teachers and administrators. They serve a very important purpose in the daily operations of this university, and it would be unethical to continue to ignore their needs and demands.
http://www.thelantern.com/archives/gendisp.asp?id=954939176906 *****