OUS Bargaining Update 7/20/09
Higher Ed Bargaining Resumes at OSU
OSU members rally in support and blitz their campusBargaining resumed at OSU on Wednesday and Thursday, July 15 and 16. Local 083, OSU, turned out in numbers to welcome your Higher Ed Team with a noon rally. After some awesome pizza and a bargaining update from your Team, the members and the Team took to the telephones to call the Governor’s office. The message delivered was to limit cuts to the recommendations of the legislature and settle our contract fairly. The Governor is insisting on cutting deeper than the legislative budget recommendations, which would force us to face unfair and unreasonable sacrifices. On Thursday, members along with SEIU support, carried out a campus wide organizing blitz to ask fair share payers to support all our pay and working conditions by joining our Union. The campaign was very successful, signing up a number of new members. Congrats OSU and thank you.
Tentative Agreements on Letters Of Agreement; Union Revises ERIPWe signed TAs on all outstanding LOAs except our new proposed Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP). Our revised proposal provides for a subsidy to help early retirees obtain health care in the years before Medicare begins while also generating savings for universities. Details at the end of this article.
Management insists on unlimited Mandatory Unpaid Time Off (MUTO)Management continues to insist on 24 days over the biennium in one proposal, and their other proposal, to remove our protections against arbitrary and unlimited MUTO, also remains on the table. Your team very clearly delivered the message that a successful settlement does not include this “unlimited furloughs” proposal. Your team will present a counter-proposal package at our next session.
New Salary Ranges Proposed for some classificationsThe class specs were recently rewritten for our Library Techs, Vet. Techs, and Education Program Assistants. Management presented the long awaited proposal for the new salary ranges. Details at the end of this article.
Management Step Freeze proposal could spell PAY CUTSOn Thursday management added a new and offensive twist to their step freeze proposal: Any employee receiving a step increase between July 1, 2009 and the date the contract is ratified, will have their salary rolled back to whatever their salary was on June 30, 2009. You may have guessed that your team is opposed to this.
OUS Requests MediationOn Monday, July13, OUS sent a letter to the Employment Relations Board (ERB) requesting the start of mediation. By law, mediation begins on the day the parties hold their first meetings with the Mediator. OUS proposed meeting with the mediator on one of the six days we had scheduled in July. However, State Conciliator Robert Nightingale has no time available with any of the State mediators in the month of July. Our mediation will begin in August. We await the date.
Coming UpThe remaining dates we have scheduled for bargaining are July 23 and 24 at WOU and July 29 and 30 at U of O. There is a statewide day of action planned for Wednesday, August 5. Please check with your Local leaders or your organizer for details.
Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP)
Eligibility and Requirements1. Participants must be eligible to retire by September 30, 2009
2. Must have 5 or more years of OUS service
3. Sign up between 10/01/09 and 12/31/09
4. Agree to retire by 12/31/09
Plan Provisions
Health Insurance Subsidy: Plan participants shall receive the subsidy amounts listed below for up to eight years or Medicare eligibility, whichever comes first. The subsidy will continue for a surviving spouse and/or dependents and applies only to a PERS or PEBB health insurance plan.
The amount of the subsidy shall be fixed as follows:
Year 1 - $800/month
Year 2 - $700/month
Year 3 - $600/month
Year 4 - $500/month
Year 5 - $400/month
Year 6 - $300/month
Year 7 - $200/month
Year 8 - $100/month
Proposed Selective Salary Increases:
Management has proposed the following selective salary ranges to be effective on July 1, 2011:
Education Program Assistant 1 SR 18
Education Program Assistant 2 SR 20
Library Technician 1 no change
Library Technician 2 SR 15
Library Technician 3 SR 18
Veterinary Hospital Drug Room Technician SR 15
Veterinary Animal Attendant SR 11
Veterinary Isolation Facility Animal Care Technician SR 15
Veterinary Central Services Technician SR 15
Veterinary Assistant SR 13
Veterinary Technician 1 SR 17
Veterinary Technician 2 SR 20
Veterinary Technician 3 SR 22
Your team has not yet responded to these proposals.
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