Negotiations - Issues & Facts

See also:  Responses to HR emails  and  In the Media

Why our members have rejected the U's contract offer:

It’s a pay cut, not a raise.

• To make economic progress, our July 1st general wage adjustment must be higher than inflation.
• Inflation is conservatively estimated at 3.5% for each of the next 2 years. The U’s offer of 2.25% will leave us 7.5% below inflation at the end of this contract.

We’re already 5% behind inflation.

The Administration didn’t have to lower our standard of living.

While our paychecks shrink, top administrators are enjoying huge raises.

The Administration is trying to eliminate our steps.

• Our employer is trying to take back our steps by counting them as part of our general wage adjustment.
• Steps have nothing to do with cost of living. They are recognition for experience, skills and loyalty. We don’t get paid the full value of our jobs until we reach the top step. 

You can’t be a 1st class University, when you’re a 2nd class employer.

• The U of M’s labor relations are a disservice to the State of Minnesota.  
• The University sets the market as one of our largest public employers; it shouldn’t  impoverish its employees.

We got them more, they offered us less.

• We lobbied for additional dollars for the U of M for a salary supplement. Because of our work, the University got that supplement.
• Legislators thought they were funding salary increases.
• Now the U is not following through on using the money for our salaries.

Jason Iversen's 2 cents

When we presented our Standard of Living presentation to the Senior Vice Presidents in May, the Administration chose not to dispute the information contained in our presentation. We've had over forty Standard of Living meetings with our members over the past two and half months and still the Administration did not dispute the information in our presentation.

One has to ask, then, why is the Administration suddenly sending out misleading e-mails to our membership? And why now of all times when they've had ample opportunity over the past three and half months to do so?

The simple answer is the Administration would love to maintain the status quo and have us all believe that apples are oranges and that steps increase are wage increases.

What they don't want us to know is that U of M Civil Service employees all received 3.25% minimum wages increases plus 2.75% increases to the top of their salary range i.e. step increases.

What they also don't want us to know is that state AFSCME employees negotiated 3.25% in addition to step increases (which are larger on average than U of M step increases) and that the State of Minnesota does not consider step increases as wage increases.

Is the work you do any less valuable than the University Civil Service's? Is it any less valuable to what State AFSCME employees do? No.

Then why is the University Administration expecting us to accept a lower wage increase?

Why does the University's Office of Human Resources send e-mail saying that step increases are the same as wage increases when in the past the U of M didn't even consider steps as wage increases?

The Administration knows that the information in our presentations is accurate and therefor favors the AFSCME members and that current time-line for a strike favors AFSCME and not the University . This Administration knows that another strike would be a crippling blow to their reputation and to the ability of this institution to function. Out of desperation the Administration is now resorting to deception to confuse our members.

We all deserve better wages and more respect for our work (not to mention our intelligence) from this University's Administration, but we all have to do what it takes and make the Administration take us seriously. And now, all four U of M AFSCME locals 3937, 3800, 3260 and 3801 have the chance to make that happen.

On Thursday, please vote to reject the Administration's insulting 2.25% proposal.

Thank you,

Jason Iversen
AFSCME 3937 Vice President - Organizing

Steps are not Cost-of-Living Increases

The University would have you believe that their general wage increase proposal for the Clerical and Technical employees is 4.25%, adding together a 2.25% annual increase and 2% steps; the offer is 2.5% + steps for the Health Care employees. This is grossly misleading . . . READ MORE  (from the 3800 Clerical Web site)

U of M AFSCME: Standing Up for Our Standard of Living

Check out this video clip for the basic information on our Standard of Living campaign for contract negotiations.