Union of Teaching Faculty members to meet with administrators next week

• Tweet
• 

The Union of Teaching Faculty will meet with administrators next week to discuss wages, benefits and working conditions.

In preparation for the meeting, representatives from the Central Michigan University Joint Union Council hosted a table in Bovee University Center Wednesday to inform the campus community of their challenges.

All the unions on campus have gotten together and collected the necessary financial data to inform the public, said English instructor Sue C. Murphy.

“Students as well as union members need to know this information,” she said. “They have this idea that we all make over $100,000 a year, but they have a right to know the truth.”

There is enough money to improve working conditions for everyone on campus, Murphy said.

The Joint Union Council’s presentation included handouts detailing evidence pertaining to Central’s strength. One of the bullet points indicated CMU has $228 million in unrestricted surplus assets, with $30 million added between 2009 and 2010.

A 3.8 percent increase in students from last year to this year is also one of the factors listed.

According to information presented, the “CMU administration negotiated with two labor union groups during summer and fall 2010, leading to zero pay raises.”

Karen Bellingar, president of UAW Local 6888 and executive secretary of the School of Engineering and Technology, said the campus needs to know what bargaining unions represent and what they are dealing with.

“I’ve been on this campus for 19 years and started to get involved in the Joint Union Council when issues arose that interested or affected me,” Bellingar said.

Tobin Hope is a member of AFSCME Local 1568, representing service and maintenance workers at CMU.

Hope’s contract is up in June, and he is staying involved because he said he wants to make sure his contract is fair.

“We are trying to show solidarity among union groups as well as visibility of what we do,” Hope said.