|
What we're asking for is simple... Fairness: We believe it is unfair to impose a 1.5 % wage increase across the board to all University workers, regardless of what they do or how much they earn. 1.5 % for a Professor or Administrator already earning more than $70,000 a year is a great deal more than 1.5 % for most of our members earning an average of $23,400 a year. Respect: Our struggle really isn't about the money. We formed a union because we wanted a stronger voice in our employment conditions, including the ability to fairly bargain for a better wage increase. We deserve the respect of a true back-and-forth negotiations, not just the University Administration's "take it or leave it" approach, and their efforts to bust our union. We also deserve to be compensated fairly for the hard work we do to maintain our campus and make life better for our entire campus community. Livable Wage: The average CPI (Consumer Price Index) measurement for the beginning of 2006 was about 4 %. This reflects the generally accepted measurement of how much the cost of living has risen for general consumer costs. The University's paltry offer of 1.5 % is not even half of the inflationary price increases we're all having to pay for things like gasoline, higher energy bills and groceries. When some of our workers are already paid so poorly that they qualify for public assistance, something must be done to redistribute some of the University's wealth down to the lowest-paid workers who truly keep this campus operating. Our Proposal: We have made a very fair proposal to the Administration, seeking a modest 3 % increase, plus some catch-up hourly increases, that would cost the University about $77,000 (only $40,000 more than their previous offer of $33,000). With the University's reported endowment of $128,501,883 (U.S. News & World Report) we don't consider this extra $40,000 unreasonable -- it would work out to about $400 more per worker. That's reasonable, affordable, and fair. If you agree that our fight for fairness is reasonable, here's how you can help. |
|
|
