Demanding dignified wages at a time of rising cost of living, the Oakland University Campus Maintenance and Trades (OUCMT) Union is negotiating its contract after more than four months of bargaining. With workers leaving for jobs with better pay, the union has reached tentative agreements on overtime equalization and is working to increase wages near the minimum living standard.<\/p>\n
Negotiations between OUCMT\u2019s bargaining team and the university began in late August, after the 2022-2025 agreement expired on Oct 31<\/a>. With more than 26 meetings to date, from which about 15 have been managed by a state mediator, an increase in wages near $22.17<\/a> \u2014 the minimum living wage according to the MIT living wage calculator \u2014 is still being discussed at the negotiation table.<\/p>\n \u201cWe worked time and a half almost every day to help satisfy the needs with other heaters,\u201d Joseph Lee, OUCMT member, says about the union\u2019s work during the HTHW pipe crisis<\/a> that paralyzed the campus last year. \u201cWe\u2019d be on call, and we would get a list of 12 different buildings to run to check the heaters that ran out of gas or it was too cold for them to run different things, different breakdowns.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe carried them through that big crisis. Never really got much of a thank you, maybe a bunch of cupcakes or something. You know, we\u2019re always treated like this. I think we excel constantly in our skilled trades department and yet, there\u2019s a high amount of attrition,\u201d Lee says.<\/p>\n The contract will determine working conditions for 141 employees, of whom almost 100 are dues-paying members of OUCMT. Since the early 70s, the union has represented operations and maintenance workers in HVAC, the central heating plant, plumbing, electrical, structural, campus cleaning, custodial, skilled trades and groundskeeping, among many other departments.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have our economic proposal broken down as custodians, skilled trades, and then grounds, greenskeepers, movers, mail room and others, so we have three different economic wage proposals out there.\u201d Dylan Baade, union president and campus cleaning custodian, says. \u201cWe\u2019re fighting for human dignity, wages that actually give us raises above inflation \u2014 dignified wages that people can raise their family on.\u201d<\/p>\n Wages up to the MIT living standard<\/p>\n OUCMT has dedicated a major portion of its bargaining to advocate for custodian wages, which are the lowest in the union. Custodian wages stand between $15.92 and $17.43, earning less than the minimum living wage in Oakland County<\/a> \u2014 $22.17 in a household without children.<\/p>\n Lamp specialists, service movers and some level one skill trades workers also find themselves below the living wage. \u201cAs we said at the Board of Trustees (BOT), our guys are leaving because wages are going down,\u201d Baade said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a guy on grounds, he [did] all the automobile repair. He says, \u2018Look, I gotta have three hours more or I gotta have an assistant,\u2019 because he\u2019s taking care of every single vehicle,\u201d Lee explains. \u201cIt\u2019s the most work anyone has on campus, changing tires, fluid, transmission issues, so he left and now the University is without him and all their trucks are going to the dealerships, which is much more money.\u201d<\/p>\n Overtime equalization policy<\/p>\n Also discussed during the six-hour bargaining sessions was the overtime equalization policy, which states that \u201covertime hours shall be divided as equally as possible among employees in the same classifications in their department,\u201d the former contract explains.<\/p>\n An overtime equalization list ensures that the least senior employees are offered overtime first, Lee explained. Recently, the custodial team approached the Human Resources (HR) department after realizing that overtime offers were not being made according to the agreement, something that, although now resolved, raised concern going into the bargaining season.<\/p>\n \u201cThe end goal of it is to make sure that one person or group of people isn\u2019t eating up all the overtime, but also at the same time that people also aren\u2019t being overworked,\u201d Baade said.<\/p>\n Crisis actions for dignity\u00a0<\/p>\n