THE ISSUES

SOUL's current campus workers solidarity campaign is committed to winning a better contract for campus workers. The University of Chicago's clerical workers have been without a contract since March 2007. They have three demands of the university:

1. A cost of living raise of at least 4%. A cost of living increase is meant to keep wages in line with rising cost of living in this area. Traditionally, the contracts that the University of Chicago has offered its workers have had cost of living increases that met or exceeded inflation. However, during these negotiations, the university has refused to offer a greater than 3% wage increase.
2. Real job security.
3. The return of "step increases," which gave workers a raise that reflected their years of experience, skills, and commitment to the university. A step increase was a secondary raise that was supposed to do slightly more than keep up with inflation. The principle behind step increases is that when workers consistently show their dedication to working at the University over a long period of time, there is a possibility of making a decent, stable wage to support the worker and her/his family.

None of these demands would even dent the University's strong financial position, and in fact the combined costs to the University, were they to acquiesce to these demands, would be a pittance. The total cumulative costs of giving all workers in the contract a decent wage would amount to less than $400,000 a year. This is less than total salaries and benefits enjoyed by many individual University administrators.¹

Such blatant disregard for workers' needs threatens to become a hallmark of University of Chicago bargaining practices. For the thousand plus clerical workers that are the key to keeping the Unviersity operating on a day-to-day basis, these contract negotiations have not simply been about the crucial issues of wages and job security, but rather about achieving a basic level of respect on the job and economic security at home. Even as the University has demonstrated its reluctance to grant such basic dignities to its workers, these workers have taken matters into their own hands and have begun organizing themselves.