Rally: Union protests: Same
work receives different pay
Continued from page 1
Holmberg read a poem she wrote
titled “Why the Pioneer Mother be
came a Member - a Poetic Tale,” in
which she portrayed the Pioneer
Mother saying, “I’d heard the
laments of classified, Through my
many lively contract campaigns, I
thought perhaps they’re spoiled.
They’d rally round from time to
time — a purple mass embroiled.
...With parties stalled in mediation,
and without any new TA’s, The
union was far from content. This
was and is the honest truth — They
need a settlement!!!! ”
“We want to reach a tentative
agreement at the bargaining table so
we get what we deserve after wait
ing for two years,” Holmberg said.
Rally attendants wrote comments
and left them on the chancellor’s
desk as they marched through the
office chanting "What do we want?
A fair contract! When do we want
it? Now!”
After two days of bargaining with
OUS management, several issues
have still not been settled. On the
list of requests, SEIU workers asked
for statewide, not regional selec
tives. This request is in response to
OUS management’s proposal to pay
workers from different regions dif
ferent wages, regardless of the type
of work they do.
“We’re looking for fairness for all
workers and we want selectives
across the state,” Holmberg said.
“We’re tired of waiting.”
Holmberg went on to explain
that OUS has divided the union over
the last 10 years, and this difference
in wages for the same work would
continue that trend.
“People with the same classifica
tion should get the same rates,”
she said.
Another issue on the table is the
SEIU proposal to add a ninth step
for Information Technology workers
— people who maintain computer
systems in each department. Holm
berg explained that there are cur
rently eight steps a classified worker
goes through, and each step repre
sents a pay raise calculated by infla
tion and the standard of living.
Currently, there are several
long-term employees who have al
ready reached their eighth step,
making their salary range topped
out, Holmberg said.
SEIU workers at the University
are also requesting a “personal
day,” which other state workers
have been granted, and the adop
tion of “bully-boss” language to de
scribe unfair treatment and an inap
propriate workplace.
SEIU President said after the rally
that she is hopeful an agreement
will be reached Friday, the next
scheduled bargaining day.
“We’re hoping they will come up
with a settlement, and then we can
vote to ratify our new contract,”
Yoshishige said. She said that be
cause steps had been frozen over
the last two years, a new agreement
was necessary to compensate work
ers for their losses.
During the first two bargaining
sessions the major economics
were settled.
“We made an agreement (at
the last meeting) to bring workers
up to a market wage in their classifi
cation,” Yoshishige said. “We
settled on a three-step increase
over the next two years, so that
by the time we (renegotiate)
our next contract, people will be
somewhat compensated.”
Bart Lewis, who works in busi
ness affairs and was a contract ne
gotiator from 1997 to 2002, said his
concern is ensuring the University
service workers get treated the same
as other workers around the state.
“Higher education is trying to
have regional selectives, so people
get paid differently in different
schools. My concern is that we get
the same increases that other state
workers are getting, and IT workers
in particular,” Lewis said.
The next bargaining session is
Friday in Portland and another date
has not yet been set, as it may not
be necessary. Holmberg encourages
supporters to write letters with their
concerns and send them to the
chancellor’s office in Campbell Hall.
nwilbar@dailyemerald.com
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