Workers and students push for living wage

From the Hyde Park Herald

October 24, 2007

By SAM CHOLKE, Staff Writer

Contract negotiations between the University of Chicago and Teamsters Local 743 have come to loggerheads over cost-of-living raises for university employees. The union represents largely clerical workers, but includes workers across the university.

"These are the people who really make it possible to be a student at the university," said Alex Moore, a student organizer focused on labor issues. "We really feel indebted to the people who work for us, and we feel they deserve a fair wage - and we want to stand with them when they feel like they're being treated unfairly,"

Workers are asking for a four percent raise to keep wages at pace with inflation, said Sidney Simmons, a union steward and a lead housekeeper for residential housing.

"If inflation is now at 12 percent, clerical employees have been getting around three percent [every year]; they have always been about 3 percent behind in wages, inflation wages or cost of living wages," Simmons said.

Gwynne Dilday, associate vice president for human resources, said the 4 percent increase is just not in keeping with industry practices.

"People don't do C.O.L.A. [cost of living adjustment] increases anymore. That's something that hasn't been done in a long, long time," said Dilday. "I believe our salaries are keeping up with inflation, because if you look across all industries, the increases are in the 3, 3.2, 3.4 [percent] range - some less."

Union organizers said the last contract offered at negotiations was lower than inflation and would effectively mean a pay cut.

"We've already voted down one contract offer which was a pay cut to below inflation and we did that in 48 hours time with [a] 90 percent [vote]," said Joe Sexuaer, a clerical worker at the university. Union members voted 533 to 47 against the offer.

Simmons said the majority of union members are demanding at minimum a four percent raise, but these concerns have not swayed university negotiators. "We went back to the table, and the university still does not want to offer us four percent or a decent wage. They want to play with the numbers," Simmons said. "We've still got our heels dug in at four percent across the board."

Sexauer said, for the workers, the issue is more than money.

"I think, at least, it's not an issue of pay because it's not that much money," Sexauer said. "It's an issue of respect - the university has a lot of money and they're arguing over nickels and dimes."

Simmons said he feels the university has not been more sympathetic to workers' concerns because of what it sees as a weakness in the union. The negotiations affect more than the university and Teamsters Local 743 union members, Simmons said. The negotiations will set a standard for future talks with other unions.

"What happens with the Teamsters on campus will trickle down to the rest of the union shops on campus," Simmons said.

Sexauer said the negotiations affect the broader community as well, which is why the union is seeing support at rallies from community groups. "The anti-gentrification folks see this as kind of part and parcel with their fight - it's definitely connected because workers used to be able to live in Hyde Park and most of them have gentrified out farther south and to Indiana," Sexauer said.

Sexauer said, whether or not the rallies convince university negotiators to reconsider their offer, they have already been worth it.

"I think it's paid off with the large rally we've already had and will have again on Halloween if things aren't settled at the table," Sexauer said. "I think it's already paid off in terms of education and mobilization." Sexauer said the negotiations have provided a chance for union members to be educated about their contract and their rights.

Simmons said he is optimistic that negations will be successful because what workers are asking for is simple.