Yesterday's negotiations between Facilities Management and the University on a new labor contract ended with a promise of a "good faith effort" from the University to maintain Facilities Management workers' jobs in buildings that are only used by the University, said Karen McAninch '74, business agent for the United Allied Service Workers and a representative for Facilities Management in the negotiations.
But other issues in the contract, such as wage increases and changes in health care and pension plans, will not be finalized until Oct. 12, when the contract expires.
As the University expanded into the Jewelry District and beyond, administrators initially wanted to hire a separate management firm to staff all off-campus University buildings, McAninch said. The University has since chosen to staff buildings "fully used by the University for educational and administrative purposes" with Facilities Management workers and hire management firms for University-owned buildings that lease to commercial tenants, Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and university relations, wrote in an email to The Herald.
The most "contentious" University building for both the current and past negotiations is 121 S. Main St., which McAninch said Facilities Management workers will likely not staff anytime soon because of the semi-permanent restaurants on the first floor. But the University promised yesterday that 200 Dyer St. will be staffed by Facilities Management workers once it becomes fully occupied by the University in December.
Other buildings only used by the University, such as the new Medical Education Building at 222 Richmond St., are staffed by Facilities Management workers. For buildings with current commercial tenants that may become fully occupied, the University promised a "good faith effort" in ensuring that these buildings are staffed by University employees, McAninch said.
Yesterday's meetings saw little progress from both sides in agreement on a wage increase. Since last week, the University revised its proposal for wage increases from 1.75 to 1.9 percent per year. The union asked for an average 3.5 percent wage increase per year for all employees in the bargaining unit. The annual increase would be distributed as an additional $0.77 per hour for all workers instead of a percentage increase based on income in order to maintain fairness to all workers, McAninch said.
The University did not agree to the concept of a flat hourly increase, but the union feels "strongly" about having a fair increase for all workers, McAninch said.
The contract currently includes language that would allow the University to change health care providers offered to employees, provided that the change in plans is "substantially comparable" to the current offerings. The union wants the contract to say that the plans must be "equal or better," to "preserve the quality of health care plans available," McAninch said.
Since negotiation meetings last week, the University revised its proposed health care premium increase from three annual 1 percent increases to two. The union counter-proposed that premiums remain the same due to hefty health care cost increases at the last contract renewal in 2006.
The union asked for "modest" increases on pension plans, McAninch said, while the University did not make an offer to increase the plans.
The new labor contract will affect 273 Facilities Management employees, 144 of whom are custodial workers, Quinn wrote.
The negotiations are expected to conclude by Wednesday at midnight.
