YOUNGSTOWN Employee unions accuse YSU of setting back labor relations

A university spokesman characterized the move as a postponement, not a withdrawal.
By RON COLE
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Leaders of employee unions at Youngstown State University say the university has withdrawn from an 11-month effort to improve labor relations.
"We're hoping it doesn't put an end to everything, all of the progress that could've been made," said Roman Swerdan, president of YSU's Association of Classified Employees.
"All of us put a considerable amount of time into this," said Gary Carlile, a labor relations consultant with the Ohio Education Association.
University responds: Walt Ulbricht, YSU spokesman, said the university has not withdrawn from the process. He characterized the action as a postponement.
Swerdan and Carlile said it's too early to tell how the breakdown will affect upcoming negotiations with the classified union and OEA, which represents faculty. Those contracts expire in August.
"I think what's lost is the opportunity to deal with some big issues prior to negotiations," Carlile said.
Background on plan: YSU's four employee unions and YSU management launched efforts to improve relations in April in a two-day labor summit facilitated by officials with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
Management and three of the unions (all but the faculty union) then participated in a three-day Relationships-by-Objective program in December in which both sides developed about 200 suggestions on how to improve the labor climate on campus. That plan was finalized Jan. 3.
But at a meeting Monday to review the progress of labor relations, YSU management demanded that the unions remove one of their suggestions from the action plan, according to a union press release.
Carlile said the item talked about a certain administrator who the unions say has been a roadblock to negotiations in the past. He and Swerdan would not identify the administrator.
Unions refuse: The unions refused to remove the item; Hugh Chatman, YSU human resources director, then told the unions that YSU management was withdrawing from the process, according to the union news release.
"We thought it was a healthy process and we were going to move forward and work on these [suggestions] and try to build trust and respect," Carlile said.
Swerdan added, "The union is still committed to the process in trying to rebuild the relationship up here."