From the SEIU site. These are key elements of the proposed settlement, worked about between SEIU bargainers and Vice Chancellor Jay “no furloughs for me” Kenton: My understanding is that the staff now gets to vote on whether or not to accept this.
• All workers will receive a 1.5% cost-of-living adjustment effective Dec. 1 and another 1.45% COLA effective 1/1/13.
• All workers who are not at the top of the longevity step-progression pay scale will receive two step increases during the life of the contract six months from the anniversary date of their time in grade.
• A 10th longevity progression step will be added to the scale Jan. 1, 2013, so that all workers who have been “topped out” at the ninth step — about 30% of those in the bargaining unit — will receive an increase on that date and all workers will get a 10th step in the future. This was a key issue for members who saw it as lack of parity with other state workers who have had the 10th step for four years.
• Workers in 20 selected classifications will receive additional upgrades in classification, increases in salary or differential pay.
• Classified workers will take 7 to 11 unpaid furlough days over the next 21 months depending on pay grade, down from 8 to 16 furlough days in the 2009-11 contract.
• OUS will absorb an additional 5% of employees’ health insurance premium costs and classified workers will start contributing 5% of the cost of premiums in December. Employees earning $33,792 a year or less at the start of the contract will receive an annual $480 subsidy to help offset this cost.
9/15/2011: Details later:
Good morning,
We have a contract settlement! Our bargaining table rep, Deanna Berglund, will be returning to campus for informational meetings today, Sept 15. The strike vote is canceled, replaced with meetings at Noon and 5:30 pm.Learn about the settlement today!
–Noon, 180 PLC (bring your own lunch)
–5:30 pm, 180 PLC
Let me guess, more “shared sacrifice”?
Good news! I hope they got something more out of OUS and I hope at least the local union people appreciate what Lariviere’s administrator/faculty raises did for the union people.
Lariviere has a deadline of today to explain to the chancellor, in writing, the rationale for the raises.
Will be interesting to see what comes next.
Where is the shared sacrifice? I would have rather been on the picket line for 11 days than to have only Classified Staff across OUS take furlough days. OUS and the governor should be ashamed to ask their lower paid workers to take the hit financially, while administrators get raises. SHAMEFUL!!
Considering someone who makes 10 times what I do got a $15,000 raise recently, I think this contract sucks. If LaRiviere doesn’t let staff make up furlough time, department heads should. What kind of “leaders” suck up big bucks while their staff struggle to both pay their bills and eat?