We have not heard much from Yoshie for a while, but it seems that she
has been very successful in her efforts.
OSU Strikers Win Tentative Pact May 19, 2000
Negotiators have reached a tentative agreement to end the three-week
strike
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.
"We
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
line
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 to
bettering their base wages.
The workers include groundskeepers, bus drivers, custodians, food
service
workers and maintenance employees on the 50,000-student Columbus campus,
the
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 an
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 of
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:
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ The exclusion of sick leave from the accumulation of hours to
be eligible for overtime.
§ 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.
--
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA 95929
Tel. 530-898-5321
E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
