UPJ Greek Alumni
  • Home
  • About
    • Purpose
    • Philanthropy
    • By Laws
    • History Timeline >
      • UPJ 1927 - 1959
      • UPJ 1960 - 1970
      • UPJ 1970 - 1980
      • UPJ 1980 - 1990
      • UPJ 1990 - 2000
      • UPJ 2000 - 2010
      • UPJ 2010 - Present
    • The Owl
  • Fraternities
    • Acacia
    • Delta Chi
    • Delta Sigma Chi
    • Kappa Delta Rho
    • Lambda Sigma Rho
    • Phi Delta Psi
    • Sigma Tau Gamma
  • Sororities
    • Alpha Kappa Pi
    • Alpha Gamma Delta
    • Alpha Sigma Alpha
    • Alpha Xi Delta
    • Chi Epsilon Nu
    • Delta Zeta
    • Kappa Zeta
    • Omega Alpha Tau
    • Phi Sigma Sigma
    • Zeta Sigma Tau
  • Reunions
    • Events
    • All Greek Reunion 2013
    • All Greek Reunion 2010
  • News
  • Contact

Pitt says offer to UPJ service workers is final

10/29/1999

0 Comments

 
Frustrated by a lack of movement toward a contract settlement, University officials said they have issued their final economic offer to Johnstown campus service workers.

But a union official called the move a "scare tactic to divide us."

The 52 service workers at Johnstown have been without a contract since July 1, 1997, working under periodic contract extensions. The workers are members of Local 585, Division 29 (formerly Local 29) of the Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO. Local 29 merged with Local 585 last May.

The University issued its ultimatum Sept. 16 to Local 585 negotiators and sent out letters to Division 29-Johnstown members the following week.

In the letter, John G. Greeno, assistant vice chancellor for employee and labor relations, stated, "The union negotiating committee has insisted on wage rate increases and cash payments that are far beyond the University's pay structure. In an effort to move negotiations to closure … the University made its final economic offer to the union on wages, cash and health coverage." 

The letter also was signed by Allan L. Boggs, Pitt's director of labor relations.

Mike Salmon, Local 585's chief negotiator, said, "Pitt's said all along 'It's not a matter of money; we don't need to do this; we aren't laying off teachers or anyone.' In fact, they're proud that they just had their first $1 billion dollar budget," Salmon said. 

Pitt is offering a 2.5 percent wage increase effective July 1, 1998, 2.5 percent effective July 1, 1999, and 2.5 percent effective July 1, 2000. To qualify for each wage increase, workers would have had to be employed at the time of the retroactive raise dates. The length of the contract, if signed, would run to June 30, 2001.

Additionally, the University is offering each worker an $1,100 cash payment within 30 days of contract ratification and $300 to be awarded July 1, 2000. 

Pitt will pick up standard "core" payments toward employee health coverage, a policy formalized in spring 1998, Greeno stated. 

The University argues that the Johnstown service workers are the only employees, other than individuals in an HMO plan, who do not contribute to University-provided health coverage, under terms of the expired contract. "All University labor agreements — other than yours — require employees to contribute to the cost of their health coverage," Greeno wrote to the service workers.

The University has paid full health care coverage to Johnstown workers since the contract's 1997 expiration, according to Greeno.

Salmon maintained the University's offer represents a cut in real pay, when adjusted for health care costs. The one-year cash payments, he said, do not compensate for the pay cut.

"If you have a family, the cheapest [health care option] is $110 a month. For someone making $10.40 an hour, that means a 6 percent pay cut. If you go with SelectBlue at $196 per month, that's a 10 percent pay cut. We don't want to go backwards," Salmon said.

The administration's letter urges union membership to sign the contract by Nov. 1. 

"We sent the letters to [individual] members with a purpose. We want to reach closure and we mean it that this is our last, best offer," Greeno told the University Times. 

He said Pitt was appealing to the membership directly because the union negotiators have stifled progress. "[The union team] did not like it when we told them of this offer [on Sept. 16]. That was clear.

"But by spelling it out," Greeno added, "we're sure that individuals are getting the accurate information on our offer. We tailored the letters to each job classification, and broke down the actual amounts [workers] would receive and what health care costs they would be required to pay [under the current health care fee structure]."

Salmon said the letters are a tactic to divide the members between those who are single and those who need family health coverage. "The University is saying 'If you're single, you can afford this, so why don't you sell out your co-workers and sign [the contract offer]." Salmon said about a third of the members have family coverage.

Salmon said that the union plans to continue trying to persuade the University that it is not being fair.

No bargaining sessions are scheduled, but both sides said they were not ruling out additional negotiating sessions.

–Peter Hart, via University Times

0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    UPJ Greek News Today

    Find the latest breaking news about UPJ. You can search by your organization name of by a date below.

    You can also take look back into time so you can remember what happened while you where at UPJ

    Click the Social Media links below for even more current info...

    Categories

    All
    Acacia
    Alpha Gamma Delta
    Alpha Kappa Psi
    Alpha Sigma Alpha
    Alpha Xi Delta
    Delta Chi
    Delta Sigma Chi
    Delta Zeta
    Farewell & Parting
    Fundraising
    Go Greek
    Homecoming
    Housing
    Intramurals
    Kappa Delta Rho
    Kappa Zeta
    Lambda Sigma Rho
    Omega Alpha Tau
    Phi Delta Psi
    Philanthropy
    Phi Sigma Sigma
    Reunion
    Rush
    SGA
    Sigma Tau Gamma
    Student Senate
    UPJ
    Zeta Sigma Tau
    Zeta Tau Alpha

    Archives

    January 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    October 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    November 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    January 2011
    November 2010
    September 2010
    July 2010
    March 2010
    December 2009
    September 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    January 2009
    September 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    March 2008
    January 2008
    November 2007
    September 2007
    June 2007
    May 2007
    April 2007
    March 2007
    February 2007
    January 2007
    November 2006
    September 2006
    June 2006
    May 2006
    March 2006
    December 2005
    November 2005
    October 2005
    September 2005
    September 2004
    August 2003
    May 2003
    March 2003
    January 2003
    November 2002
    October 2002
    August 2002
    July 2002
    June 2002
    May 2002
    March 2002
    October 2001
    August 2001
    June 2001
    April 2001
    March 2001
    December 2000
    May 2000
    April 2000
    March 2000
    February 2000
    October 1999
    July 1999
    May 1999
    April 1999
    March 1999
    February 1999
    June 1998
    February 1995
    July 1988
    January 1968

    RSS Feed

Creative Commons License
UPJ Greek Alumni is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
©2022 UPJ Greek Alumni Council
site design by Rapid Production Marketing