----- Original Message ----- From: "seth wigderson" <seth.wigderson at gte.net> To: <H-LABOR at H-NET.MSU.EDU> Sent: Friday, May 19, 2000 3:04 PM Subject: Ohio State University Settles
> Dear Friends,
> Here is the CWA story and the OSU Press Release
> SW
> - - - - - -
>
>
>
> OSU Strikers Win Tentative Pact May 19, 2000
>
> Negotiators have reached a tentative agreement to end the three-week
strik=
> e
> at Ohio State University, where CWA's fight for living wages has won
broad
> support from students, politicians, religious leaders and the larger
> Columbus community.
>
> The proposed contract will increase wages by $2 over three years for
campus
> workers and by $1.90 for employees at the Ohio State Medical Center.
> Bringing the wages of the two units closer together was a top priority for
> striking workers.
>
> Nearly 2,000 workers, members of CWA Local 4501, walked off the job May 1.
> Under the agreement, reached May 18, they will return to work beginning at
=
> 5
> a.m. May 22. Ratification votes are scheduled for May 23-25.
>
> "We made real progress," said District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach.
"W=
> e
> had a very effective strike, and we addressed the primary goals that we
had=
> .
> We got some additional money and we brought the hospital much closer in
lin=
> e
> with campus than it had been."
>
> Five days into the strike, workers rejected a contract offer that had
> significantly different pay scales for the two bargaining units. The new
> proposal gives hospital workers a shift differential of 15 cents in the
> first year, 20 cents in the second and 25 cents in the third, in addition
t=
> o
> bettering their base wages.
>
> The workers include groundskeepers, bus drivers, custodians, food service
> workers and maintenance employees on the 50,000-student Columbus campus,
th=
> e
> nearby medical center and satellite campuses in Wooster, Lima and Newark.
> Many of the workers earn less than $10 an hour, in spite of years of
> service.
>
> Support for the strikers started strong and continued to grow, with
rallies=
> ,
> vigils and friendly honks as drivers passed picket lines. As the strike
> entered its third week, several members of the Columbus City Council spoke
> out on the workers' behalf. Councilwoman Charleta Tavares told the
Columbus
> Dispatch that she recently saw a fast food restaurant offering workers $8
a=
> n
> hour with stock options, a pension plan and other benefits.
>
> "When we say we pay our fast-food workers this kind of rate, what does it
> say for people who have worked for years making $9 or $10?" she said.
>
> Noted supporters include poet Maya Angelou and NAACP President Kweisi
Mfume=
> ,
> who both cancelled scheduled appearances on campus the second week of the
> strike.
>
> In a letter of thanks to Mfume, CWA President Morton Bahr said, "Our
> struggle is as much for respect and dignity for this overwhelmingly
> African-American workforce as it is for wages and working conditions. Your
> support, hopefully, will assist in our efforts to reach an early and
> satisfactory agreement."
>
> Meanwhile, students held a sit-in at the administration building, planned
> rallies, passed out flyers and wore CWA buttons and T-shirts. The Council
o=
> f
> Graduate Students passed a resolution urging students, staff and faculty
to
> boycott businesses that pay rent to Ohio State, including vending machine
> companies, restaurants, copy shops and the campus bookstore.
>
> Professors also showed support, moving some classes outdoors to avoid
> crossing picket lines and allow students to see and hear the strikers.
>
> - - - - - -
> May 19, 2000
> For Immediate Release:
>
> UNIVERSITY AND UNION NEGOTIATORS
> REACH TENTATIVE "LANDMARK AGREEMENT"
>
> Negotiators for The Ohio State University and the Communications
> Workers of America Local 4501 early this morning reached a
> tentative agreement which they hope will bring an end to the
> three-week-old strike by 1,900 union members.
>
> The CWA leadership is asking members to return to their jobs
> starting Monday followed by a ratification vote which will take
> place next week.
>
> "We are enormously pleased that we have been able to reach this
> tentative agreement," said Dr. William E. Kirwan, university
> president. "This is a landmark agreement that is fair and equitable
> and which addresses concerns raised by both sides. The wage
> package included in the accord was put on the table by the
> union's bargaining team and it is a package we are able to
> support. I am very hopeful that the university can begin to return
> to normal and that we will once again be able to call upon the
> valued skills and full services of the CWA."
>
> Gary Josephson, president of the CWA local, said that the
> tentative agreement represents a significant step forward for his
> members and urged his members to ratify the accord.
>
> "We pressed our issues and the university listened," Josephson
> said, "and we listened to the university's issues. In the end, we
> wound up with what I believe is a win/win agreement - one that
> has my full support and the support of our entire negotiating
> team. We are asking our members to return to work starting
> Monday."
>
> Josephson and Kirwan also called upon faculty and students to
> return to their normal classroom activities.
>
> "We appreciate the support faculty and students have shown,"
> Josephson said, "and it has helped keep our spirits up during the
> strike. But now it is time for things to get back to normal."
>
> Kirwan agreed, saying: "We must do everything within our ability
> to ensure that the student educational experience and support
> services for our students return to their normal and high levels as
> we reach the end of the quarter. We have much to do together."
>
> The ratification vote will take place next Tuesday, Wednesday,
> and Thursday at various locations around campus to be
> designated by the union. Voting on regional campuses will also
> occur next week. Pending ratification, CWA members will work
> under the terms of the previous contract. Once ratified, the new
> contract will take effect beginning 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 27,
> 2000.
>
> According to the terms of the tentative agreement, non-hospital
> CWA members will receive a $1 hourly increase in the first year of
> the three-year accord (effective with the pay period beginning
> 6/18/00); a 50-cent hourly increase in the second year, and an
> additional 50-cent hourly increase in the third year. The latter
> increases also will be effective at the start of the fiscal years.
>
> CWA members who work in the hospitals will also receive a $1
> hourly increase in the first year of the contract: a 50-cent hourly
> increase effective with the pay period beginning 6/18/00 and an
> additional 50-cent increase effective on their anniversary dates.
> In addition, these workers will receive a 40-cent hourly increase in
> the second year of the contract and an additional 50-cent hourly
> increase in the third year. The second- and third-year increases
> will be effective on the employee's anniversary date.
>
> Hospital workers will receive evening and night shift differentials of
> 15 cents per hour in the first year, 20 cents per hour in the
> second year, and 25 cents per hour in the third year.
>
> Furthermore, members of the bargaining unit will each receive a
> $420 cash payment upon ratification of the agreement.
>
> Other provisions of the agreement, most of which were also
> included in the previous agreement, include:
>
> =A7 A new pilot apprenticeship program for skilled trades and
> maintenance staff to take the opportunity to upgrade their skills.
> Staff who successfully participate in this program are eligible for
> additional pay increases.
>
> =A7 The addition of the use of skilled trades job titles
previously
> used only by the University Medical Center, which would allow
> opportunities for upgrade and promotion of qualified University
> staff.
>
> =A7 An agreement to review job classifications for the purpose of
> developing skills assessment and learning components, with CWA
> to play a major role in selecting classifications for review.
>
> =A7 Guarantees for the life of the agreement that the university
> will maintain its share of benefits costs at 85 percent of premiums
> for the university base plan, with bargaining unit members paying
> no more than the 15 percent they currently pay.
>
> =A7 The ability for the university to hire in experienced staff at
> rates higher than the minimum. This provision would allow for
> enhanced recruitment of staff with previous experience, which
> would benefit all operations. The contract also continues to allow
> the university to provide pay adjustments to resolve inequity
> situations. New to this agreement is the provision of up to a
> 35-cent per hour adjustment for workers hired at minimum wage
> levels who successfully complete their 180-day probationary
> period.
>
> =A7 Higher-performing employees will receive up to an additional
> $.15/hour in base pay effective June 2002, provided that the CWA
> and the university agree on objective and fair criteria.
>
> =A7 The exclusion of sick leave from the accumulation of hours to
> be eligible for overtime.
>
> =A7 The implementation of maximum wage rates for each
> classification; for individuals at or above maximum, 1/3 of the
> established pay increase would be in base pay and 2/3 in
> immediate cash payment. All increases will count toward
> retirement calculations.
>
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>