CMU AFSCME joins POAM in accepting pay freeze for 2011-12 fiscal year

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A second bargaining group has reached an agreement with the university and accepted a pay freeze for the 2011-12 fiscal year.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees will see wage increases tied to the professional and administrative group for the second two years of the three-year contract. The group will also decrease its contributions to health benefits, from 11 percent to 9 percent.

The AFSCME Local 1568 represents 196 service maintenance employees, which include custodial, groundskeepers, skilled trades, warehouse workers and others, according to a statement from University Communications.

Kevin Smart, director of employee relations, said the agreement is a reasonable compromise.

“I think it’s the best we can do under the circumstances,” Smart said.

There are no increases for promotions or other experience bonuses in this bargaining group, unlike the Police Officers Association of Michigan and other groups, Smart said.

POAM increases are based on total relevant experience, usually total experience as a sworn police officer, he said. These steps are the difference between a “couple dollars” at each level.

The POAM “Rate A”, “Rate B” and “Rate C” wage structure recognizes job related experience as a sworn police officer. It is not a longevity bonus, since the experience could have been earned prior to being hired by CMU.

“AFSCME doesn’t have steps, they have a fixed rate contract, each position has a specified pay rate,” Smart said. “(Those workers are) hired in at that rate, (can be) promoted from one position to another and get an increase to that pay increase for the higher level job.”

Except for the POAM, none of CMU’s staff agreements provide any sort of automatic step increase.

None of them, including POAM, provide any longevity bonus, Smart said.

The Faculty Association remains in negotiations with the university after entering mediation in June. Its contract expired June 30. The Supervisory and Technical Union unsuccessfully entered mediation with the university, Smart said. The groups have now applied for fact-finding, the next step in negotiations, but are waiting for a fact-finder to be appointed.

Earlier this year, the Union of Teaching Faculty and Graduate Student Union both reached agreements with the university and both accepted pay raises. The Police Officers Association of Michigan agreed to a pay freeze last week.

No pay announcements have been made for senior officers, professional and administrative or public broadcasting groups.

Smart said most of the five staff unit groups he bargained with, both for this and the previous fiscal year, came to the table with well thought out, sensitive and reasonable proposals on wages and benefits.

“They certainly recognize the times we’re in,” he said.

Tobin Hope, painter, is a leader of AFSCME, and was unavailable for comment at press time.