SUNY Erie Community College and the union representing a little over 100 administrative workers are scheduled to hold contract negotiations May 1 and May 5. One day before that first scheduled session, union members and their supporters staged a picket outside SUNY Erie’s North Campus in Williamsville to drum up support.
Among them was Katie Koch, president of AAECC UAW Local 3300, the union representing these workers.
“We are the administrators of the college. We are the ones that do all the background admissions, financial aid, registrars, all the things that you don't see, all the students support, everything that gets the students and keeps the students enrolled in college,” she explained.
Among the points AAECC hopes to resolve are increased pay and improved benefits.
“We've been without a contract for six years now,” Koch said. “We have lost some really good workers over the years due to poor wages, and we really need to come to a conclusion and get something for our hard work.”
ECC leaders, including college president Adiam Tsegai, released statements Thursday morning. Tsegai suggests the union’s proposed wage increase, about 6.85% each year for four years, is “unreasonable and unsustainable.” He also states that the college has offered a 3.2% wage increase each year for four years, a rate he calls fair.
College board president Jeffrey Stone expresses support for the College’s bargaining team to reach a deal that is meaningful but also addresses the College’s priorities and is economically sustainable.
Hayes Dolce LLP, a law firm representing the union, in turn, issued a statement in response to SUNY Erie's messages: "AAECC, UAW Local 3300 has fully respected the ground rules agreed to by the parties, and has specifically refrained from disclosing any information regarding parties' proposals. Instead, members have focused on the terms contained in the current collective bargaining agreement, which expired six years ago.
"We are disappointed that the College's response to the Union's legally protected and peaceful informational picket was to violate the ground rules the College proposed. While we dispute the accuracy and characterization of the wage proposals cited by Dr. Tsegai in her press release, the Union will continue to abide by the ground rules, and looks forward to productive bargaining sessions on May 1 and May 5."
