Food workers’ contract talks hit standstill
By BILL LUTZ
Of the Emerald
Wage contract negotiations between the
University and student food service work
ers reached a standstill Friday after nearly a
month of mediation.
Student food service workers at the Uni
versity are represented by the American
Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employes (AFSCME, local 1893).
Jack Steward, director of the University
personnel department, said over the
weekend he felt “things were not that bad”
and that negotiations had not reached an
impasse.
“We’re giving them (the food-service
workers) a few days to consider our last
offer — we’re on a standby basis,” Steward
said.
However, Jack Condliffe, president of
*
AFSCME local 1893, said that at no time
during bargaining did the University’s offers
exceed a two per cent wage increase. He
pointed out it would take at least a six per
cent wage increase just to meet the rise in
the cost of living.
“For many of these student workers
that’s all they have to live on and put them
selves through school with,” said Condliffe.
He said none of the members of the union
negotiating team felt they could agree with
the University’s final offer. However, they
did not refuse it.
“In an act of good-faith bargaining we are
taking the University's last offer to a mem
bership vote, and we’ve agreed to do so
without any recommendation by us,” said
Condliffe.
If the membership does not accept this
offer he said the union would ask the Em
ployment Relations Board (ERB) for fact
finding.
Fact-finding is an investigation under
taken by an independent arbitrator. How
ever, this arbitrator has no binding opinion.
He/she can only make recommendations to
the parties involved.
If an agreement has not been reached by
thirty days after the conclusion of fact
finding, the union can call a strike with ten
days’ notice.
Condliffe pointed out the University
bases its wage offers on a belief that stu
dent workers should make only 85 per cent
of what civil service workers make.
Steward said the University basis for that
“85 per cent principle” was their belief that
students don’t put out a full performance as
do civil service workers.
“You just don’t get equal hour-for-hour
work between student and civil service
workers,” Steward said.
Condliffe said there was no factual basis
for Steward’s claim.
“Any student or civil service worker
would dispute that,” he added.
He also said this year was the first year
wage negotiations were not settled at least
through the mediation process.
He pointed out in 1975 and 1976 the Uni
versity agreed to 10.5 and 6.35 per cent
wage increases respectively.
“That was easy,” said Condliffe, “they
were just agreeing to the legal minimum
wage. Now it’s a matter of an equitable
wage to meet the cost-of-living increase.”
Pay for student food service workers
starts at $2.35 an hour, says Condliffe,
“whereas comparable jobs at Sacred Heart
start at $3. We’re not asking for that much,
but we think it is a significant indicator.”
Other issues under negotiation were the
meal price for student food service workers
and a proposal to tie the food service work
ers’ wage to state or federal minimum wage
(whichever is higher).
V
Vol. 78, No. 121
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Monday, April 11,1977
Rising power costs spur participation
OSU fair draws energy-saving inventions
Energy—or more specifically
the lack of, the consumption of
and the discovery of — exemp
lified a new awareness and con
cern among consumers and sup
pliers at the Energy Fair held at
Oregon State University this
weekend.
Rising energy costs and an in
creased desire to know what new
items are on the market ac
counted for the large turnout, ac
cording to Julia Fink, spokesper
son for the Oregon Department of
Energy, a co-sponsor of the fair.
“There has been a good mix in
both age variance and lifestyle,”
said Fink. “People from Bend,
Prospect, the coast and all parts of
the state, and even some folks
from Washington are visiting the
fair.”
According to Fink, estimates of
attendance range upward to 800
persons an hour. “We had given
out about 2,000 brochures (Sav
ing Energy Saving Money — It
Makes Sense!) by Friday after
noon,” Fink said.
The Energy Fair afforded both
prospective buyers an opportun
ity to check out what is offered,
and the relatively new field of sell
ers a chance to show their wares.
Usually, at least one row of lit
erature about the respective in
strument of device lined the table
in front of a personable salesman
willing to answer questions.
Some of the more conventional
energy alternatives included solar
collector panels, geothermal
I' Jft II W
energy, heat pumps, added insu
lation and other conservation
measures like fixing faucets that
drip and turning the temperature
down to 68 degrees in the home
and 140 degrees in the hot water
heater.
An electric kit-car highlighted
the bazaar. The Kaylor car can
travel 50 miles at 50-55 miles per
hour; at 30-35 mph, the car will
travel in excess of 120 miles. Al
most any Volkswagen-based auto
can be converted to electric by
■ ■■ i
A representative for Innovation Development and Analysis, Co. de
monstrates for an OSU Energy Fair audience the gas-producing
biomass conversion system. The converted gas is burned as fuel for
existing equipment (furnaces, boilers, dryers, kilns).
using one of the Kaylor-kits.
Prices range from $500 to $2,500.
Along those same lines, the
Charger electric cycle is a $500
machine 62 inches long on a
45-inch wheelbase. It is 37-inches
high overall and weighs 210
pounds with batteries. The
charger has a maximum speed of
30 mph and range of 50 miles.
The Peterson Solar Drier con
sists of an elevated drying
chamber with more than
21 square feet of drying surface in
six easy to reach trays of fruits and
vegetables. A solar collector
radiates downward and outward
from the chamber. The measured
temperature of the drying
chamber air exceeds the outside
temperature by 20 to 25 degrees.
The price for plans is $6; plans
and partial kit is $45; the complete
kit costs $144.
Story and photo
By S. JEFF FOREMAN
Of the Emerald
Another unusual device is a
small (one to 10 million BTU per
hour) gas producer system which
will permit on-site conversion of
biomass (wood waste, straw, etc.)
into a gaseous fuel which existing
equipment (furnaces, boilers,
dryers, kilns, etc.) can burn
cleanly and efficiently with rela
tively little modification.
The last strange, but definitely
useable, item is Plastic-View see
through reflective shades. The
manufacturer claims up to 89.5
per cent heat radiation is “kick
backed,” so this is a summer
(sans air conditioning) commod
ity.
Not only do the shades keep
heat out; they also deter 50 per
cent of heat leaking out. The price
for this hot item ranges from $15
for small windows to $200 for
large sizes.