College
Revises Contract
by Kushal Kabir
The
Oberlin College Office and Professional Employees Union feel a crisis
coming on. The Colleges budget cuts threaten to alter the
union members health care plan and violate the contract that
was signed last summer.
As of last June, the total costs of Oberlins health care had
shot up to $7.2 million and recently, as budget concerns intensify,
the Faculty Benefits Committee has been charged with the task of
lowering health care costs.
According to the committee, as of next January the cost of the plan
cannot exceed $8 million annually. Thus, the College plans to limit
the participant group eligible for benefits, reduce the benefits
covered and charge participants more for the cost of the coverage.
OCOPE President and reserve room specialist Julie Wier expressed
concerns that the College would force change on their carefully
negotiated health care plan and violate the contract the union had
made with the College last summer. [The new measures] appear
to disregard the rights we have as a union, and will force us to
accept a plan designed by others, she said. Afraid that their
concerns will not be taken into account, she feels the union will
have to fight to make sure that the wrong is corrected.
The Colleges department of human resources was unable to comment
on the matter.
The rising cost of health care surfaced this fall in routine contract
negotiations between OCOPE, other campus unions and the College.
Health care is very important to our members, Wier said,
and we worked hard to maintain a high level of coverage at
a cost our members can afford. We know the Faculty Benefits Committee
are looking at revamping it and we know they will not give us or
the other unions access to their decision making group. Our members
have very different needs then faculty.
$52,000 is a salary that our highest paid longest term employee
doesnt even make. Our memberships average salary is
somewhere around $28,000, and our lowest is around $20,000. These
salaries make health care and paying for it a very difficult thing
for our union members. Not only are our salaries different, but
we live in different places [and] we represent more women and single
households, Wier said.
We are sympathetic to the colleges budget problems,
but there are a lot of areas to reign in money from and make savings.
The College doesnt have to violate contracts and hurt the
lowest of the low, she said.
OCOPE is also concerned about long delays in filling staff positions
and the Colleges use of extra employees (workers
without any benefits) beyond six months. According to Wier, there
are currently 15 open positions in the Colleges office and
professional staff-wing. Some of these positions have been open
almost a year. All of our open jobs are held in excess of
six months before being posted for refilling with a regular employee
no matter how much the position is needed, she said. The College
froze all hiring this fall in efforts to recover budget loss. Some
positions, however, have been filled on the basis of extreme necessity.
Most of the exceptions were made in food service.
The College has found creative ways to circumvent the contract
in order to keep using these workers in places where regular employees
are needed. This continued misuse of the contract makes it near
impossible for us to consider making agreements that might be more
helpful to the budget situation, she said.
It really is a matter of trust how can we trust making
agreements when we dont even see the current one being followed.
Vacancies are not being filled [and] in some instances the remaining
regular workers are experiencing high levels of stress, Wier
said.
Grievances have been filed, and there is a meeting planned for next
week.
The College will time it not to give us anything concrete
or even pass hints as long as the students are on campus, after
they experienced the demonstrations regarding the MRC interns. They
know that the students are sympathetic and understanding of the
needs of the working class. Last summer during our negotiations
we had a lot of contact with students and they were very supportive.
They let the administration know that even though they werent
here, they were concerned, Wier said. We want to make
this public early and get the student bodys support in case
something does happen.
For more information, see www.oberlin.edu/oncampus/questions/Default.html
|