Roth blogs about Physical Plant negotiations

Roth's blog occasionally provides some useful insight into administrative happenings. Recently, it offered a glimpse into our president's thoughts on the Physical Plant negotiations:

... We are back at the negotiating table, but it is disturbing to see students enlisted in a protest (“No contract, no peace!”) that seems aimed to make up for the failure of the physical plant employees to agree with their own representatives. It is hard to miss the irony of physical plant employees having extra work to do as they clean up the scrawled messages of their student supporters...

On a lighter note, when Sophie saw “contract now!” scrawled on our driveway, she thought we were suddenly to become smaller…

As imagined, his thoughts have created some discussion in the comments section of his blog post. One stood out to me in particular: the fifth comment, in which Christie Kontopidis '10 gave Roth a piece of her mind:

I’m surprised by Mr. Roth’s misrepresentation of the facts of the negotiations and the actions taken in response to them. There was no “irony” in physical plant cleaning up student chalking, because the workers who erased the chalking were sub-contracted, and not part of physical plant. Additionally, the chalking was only erased because of President Roth’s chalking ban which inhibits our freedom of speech. Workers and students are not divided on the issue of chalking. If the administration simply lifted the ban, no worker would have to waste time erasing chalk.

Furthermore, the pun made with the word “contract” just isn’t funny. These are people’s lives which are being discussed and negotiated.

Remember, there is a rally in support of Physical Plant workers today at noon, at North College.

P-Plant workers, University want Feds to mediate

Margot Finkel '09 of USLAC writes in with depressing news about the contract negotiations between Physical Plant workers and the University:

Their situation is really serious and the negotiations aren't going well. The fact they have been working this long without a contract and that a federal mediator had to be brought in yet again to a Wesleyan bargaining table is shameful. If Wesleyan gets what it's asking for, Physical Plant workers will be losing thousands of dollars a year to health care costs, rather than getting the raise they deserve.

A statement prepared by the union's business agent:

Local 153 of the Office and Professional Employees Union (OPEIU) representing Physical Plant employees, and the University have reached out for a Federal Mediator to assist in their ongoing contract negotiations.

The Union reports that in addition to wages, the parties remain far apart on a number of other issues still on the table. In addition to economic give backs the other issues include more than doubling the employee premium contribution for healthcare coverage, and implement drug testing program.

Although the contract between the parties expired on June 30, 2007, negotiations have been ongoing under an extension agreement until the parties meet again on Tuesday December 18th.

The Union’s bargaining committee believes that with what is on the table as of now it is not likely the parties will reach a settlement. However, they remain optimistic that as long as the parties keep talking, there is always the possibility of reaching a settlement. One that both parties can live with.

If you want to show your support, show up to the aforementioned contract negotiations:

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 18
Time: 10:30 (AM, I'd assume)
Location: Usdan