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Negotiations continue between Youngstown State, ACE union
YOUNGSTOWN
Contract negotiations continue between Youngstown State University and the Association of Classified Employees.
“We support you, and we need you,” said Cryshanna Jackson-Leftwich, director of the department of Politics and International Studies and Women and Gender Studies, to more than 150 ACE members at a meeting Tuesday afternoon. She said she was speaking on behalf of the university’s faculty.
The ACE union includes accountants, carpenters, computer operators, customer-service workers, custodians, electricians, nurses, laboratory technicians, clerks, secretaries and others across all university departments.
The last time a contract was under negotiation between ACE and YSU, the university board of trustees voted 7-0 in May 2015 to implement the contract despite the union’s rejection.
“That doesn’t do much for morale,” Jackson-Leftwich said.
Michael Jerryson, Religious Studies associate professor, said: “It’s difficult being ‘Y and Proud’ with the amount of disrespect from the administration.”
“What are we showing our students is OK?” asked Jerryson.
“Y and Proud” is a YSU marketing effort meant to spread the word about YSU pride.
A contract item the union took issue with was the reduction from 63 days to 14 days the notification of layoff or job abolishment, the union president said, according to a May 2015 Vindicator story. In addition, the contract caused employees with more than 25 years’ service to lose one of their six weeks’ vacation, dropping to five per year.
The imposed contract also reduces the amount of personal time ACE members earn and requires seven days’ notice for personal time off.
Another hardship the contract imposed, they said, reduced wages for accounting clerks I and II, administrative assistants I and II, secretary and executive secretaries I and II. Accounting clerk I dropped from $15.07 to $12.93 per hour; accounting clerk II dropped from $15.75 to $13.61; and executive secretaries dropped from $19.34 to $16.98 hourly.
The ongoing negotiations are making ACE members feel oppressed, said HaSheen Wilson, YSU IT customer service network administrator and ACE executive committee member.
“It has been hostile environment for ACE members,” Wilson said. “We didn’t just let it happen, either. The administration didn’t really value us.”
Although he would not disclose specifics of the negotiations because of a media blackout, Wilson said ACE members “just want what’s fair, equitable and just to provide for their families.”