Central Michigan University Public Broadcasting employees see no pay increase for next year

Central Michigan University Public Broadcasting employees will go without a pay increase for the next year.

The 26 employees represented by the National Association of Broadcasting Employees and Technicians Local 54-412 ratified a contract with CMU May 20 that will keep current levels of pay and other benefits constant.

CMU ratified the contract June 1.

“Everybody, of course, wants to get a raise,” said Linda Dielman, programming and outreach manager and president of NABET Local 54-412. “I thought negotiations went well, they were amicable, these are tough times economically.”

She said rates have been set at their current levels for the next year, although what will occur for the rest of the contract which expires June 30, 2013 is uncertain.

Dielman said the uncertain state of CMU’s budget for the next academic year made deliberations a more difficult matter than they otherwise might have been.

“Everybody did the best they could do, given the information they had at the time,” she said.

Negotiations were held with a modified expedited bargaining process over a week between Dielman, a representative of NABET’s national office, and Kevin Smart, director of employee relations and human resources technology.

The current contract rates provide a minimum pay of $13.00 an hour and a maximum of $21.07 for employees in the first pay bracket.

Employees in the fifth and highest pay bracket can receive a minimum yearly salary of $49,677 and a maximum of $76,261.

“Linda Dielman in the bargaining committee did a good job of making sure the contract terms were reasonable given the circumstances,” Smart said.

He said the university has managed to avoid much of the economic fallout the private sector has faced, necessitating mass layoffs and widespread reduction of programs, through a measured approach to programs like the decision with NABET.

“I think we did a good job of trying to sidestep those issues for now,” Smart said.