----- Original Message ----- From: "seth wigderson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 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. > > - End - >
