'Fire Up office professionals'
CMU faculty and community rally in support of office professionals' wages
On the north end of Central Michigan University's campus, shouts, claps, laughter and bangs from a wooden spoon hitting a cooking pot rang out, outside of Rowe Hall on Tuesday morning. The commotion was the combined voices of some of the campus' more than 1,200 unionized faculty and staff. They gathered in support of the United Auto Workers Union, which is in the throes of contract negotiations on behalf of CMU's 223 office professionals.
“People just want to come out and support us, and we appreciate it,” said Deb Gross, executive secretary at the Registrar’s Office, and president of the UAW Local 6888. “We’re bargaining for better.”
A Central Michigan Life salary study released earlier this month found that the average salary of an office professional was $39,970 per year. When factored over a 12-month pay period, that equates to just shy of $3,331 per month or an average of $19.22 per hour.
Gross said not all the people gathered for the rally were office professionals. Other union members were there to help support office professionals, as well as some Mount Pleasant community members.
Amanda Garrison, associate professor of sociology in the School of Politics, Society, Justice & Public Service, said four unions were represented at today's event. The Union of Teaching Faculty (UTF), Facilities Management and National Association of Broadcast Employees (NABET) were on-hand to help support the office professionals.
“We want to come together to support our union siblings,” Garrison said. “The unions here stick together.”
The OPs are bargaining for, among other things, higher wages. Their wage has been comparable to fast-food employees. Signage currently posted at each restaurant shows entry-level service and kitchen team members at Panda Express earn between $16 and $17 an hour, while McDonald’s employees start at $13 to $15 an hour.
“They [office professionals] do all these things for us and they get pennies as raises from the university,” Garrison said. “They need so much more than they are getting.”
“The university wouldn’t be able to function without our OPs,” said Kirsten Nicholson, a professor of Biology. “I hope the administration truly understands the service that OPs provide, and compensates them generously because they deserve it.”
The OPs and other unions previously demonstrated ahead of collective bargaining on April 29. They intend to continue to do so throughout the negotiation process.
“I am so impressed with the faculty that turned out today; it’s energizing,” Garrison said. “The first time there was a great turn out too.
“If we can keep this going, they [CMU] can hear us.”
