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Wage Hikes End Three-Week Strike at Ohio State University
Workers at Ohio State University returned to their jobs May 22, ending a three-week strike that won broad support from the Columbus community and led to negotiated wage increases of $2 an hour for campus employees over three years.
Over three days of voting, members of CWA Local 4501 ratified the contract, 992-225.
“People are happy about what they did,” Local 4501 President Gary Josephson said. “They feel a good sense of accomplishment and they feel very proud of their union.”
The contract, which includes a $420 signing bonus, increases wages by an average of 21 percent — 3 percent more than an offer employees rejected at the end of the strike’s first week.
“This overwhelming vote reflects the outstanding agreement that was achieved during this hard-fought strike,” District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach said. “With raises averaging nearly 21 percent, this contract will have a profound impact on the lives of members — half of whom made under $10 per hour.”
The nearly 2,000 workers include groundskeepers, bus drivers, custodians, food service workers and maintenance employees on the 50,000-student Columbus campus, the nearby Ohio State Medical Center and satellite campuses in Wooster, Lima and Newark.
Wages for workers at the medical center will increase by $1.90 an hour over three years. Hospital workers also will get a shift differential of 15 cents an hour in the first year, 20 cents in the second and 25 cents in the third. Bringing the wages of the medical and campus units closer together was a top priority for striking workers.
Support for the strikers started strong and continued to grow, with rallies, vigils and friendly honks as drivers passed picket lines. As the strike entered its third week, several members of the Columbus City Council spoke out on the workers’ behalf. Councilwoman Charleta Tavares told the Columbus Dispatch newspaper that she recently saw a fast food restaurant offering workers $8 an hour with stock options, a pension plan and other benefits.
“When we say we pay our fast-food workers this kind of rate, what does it say for people who have worked for years making $9 or $10?” she said.
Noted supporters include poet Maya Angelou and NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, who both cancelled scheduled appearances on campus the second week of the strike.
In a letter of thanks to Mfume, CWA President Morton Bahr said, “Our struggle is as much for respect and dignity for this overwhelmingly African-American workforce as it is for wages and working conditions. Your support, hopefully, will assist in our efforts to reach an early and satisfactory agreement.”
Meanwhile, students held a 26-day sit-in at the administration building, planned rallies, passed out flyers and wore CWA buttons and T-shirts. The Council of Graduate Students passed a resolution urging students, staff and faculty to boycott businesses that pay rent to Ohio State, including vending machine companies, restaurants, copy shops and the campus bookstore.
Professors also showed support, moving some classes outdoors to avoid crossing picket lines and allow students to see and hear the strikers.
“Everything we tried seemed to work,” Josephson said. He noted that students have thanked CWA members for “waking up OSU.” Fellow unions joined CWA on the picket lines and donated money to the strike fund, and the Dispatch carried stories almost daily.
“It was a definite win,” he said. “People are saying to me, ‘It looks like organized labor is back.’”
Over three days of voting, members of CWA Local 4501 ratified the contract, 992-225.
“People are happy about what they did,” Local 4501 President Gary Josephson said. “They feel a good sense of accomplishment and they feel very proud of their union.”
The contract, which includes a $420 signing bonus, increases wages by an average of 21 percent — 3 percent more than an offer employees rejected at the end of the strike’s first week.
“This overwhelming vote reflects the outstanding agreement that was achieved during this hard-fought strike,” District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach said. “With raises averaging nearly 21 percent, this contract will have a profound impact on the lives of members — half of whom made under $10 per hour.”
The nearly 2,000 workers include groundskeepers, bus drivers, custodians, food service workers and maintenance employees on the 50,000-student Columbus campus, the nearby Ohio State Medical Center and satellite campuses in Wooster, Lima and Newark.
Wages for workers at the medical center will increase by $1.90 an hour over three years. Hospital workers also will get a shift differential of 15 cents an hour in the first year, 20 cents in the second and 25 cents in the third. Bringing the wages of the medical and campus units closer together was a top priority for striking workers.
Support for the strikers started strong and continued to grow, with rallies, vigils and friendly honks as drivers passed picket lines. As the strike entered its third week, several members of the Columbus City Council spoke out on the workers’ behalf. Councilwoman Charleta Tavares told the Columbus Dispatch newspaper that she recently saw a fast food restaurant offering workers $8 an hour with stock options, a pension plan and other benefits.
“When we say we pay our fast-food workers this kind of rate, what does it say for people who have worked for years making $9 or $10?” she said.
Noted supporters include poet Maya Angelou and NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, who both cancelled scheduled appearances on campus the second week of the strike.
In a letter of thanks to Mfume, CWA President Morton Bahr said, “Our struggle is as much for respect and dignity for this overwhelmingly African-American workforce as it is for wages and working conditions. Your support, hopefully, will assist in our efforts to reach an early and satisfactory agreement.”
Meanwhile, students held a 26-day sit-in at the administration building, planned rallies, passed out flyers and wore CWA buttons and T-shirts. The Council of Graduate Students passed a resolution urging students, staff and faculty to boycott businesses that pay rent to Ohio State, including vending machine companies, restaurants, copy shops and the campus bookstore.
Professors also showed support, moving some classes outdoors to avoid crossing picket lines and allow students to see and hear the strikers.
“Everything we tried seemed to work,” Josephson said. He noted that students have thanked CWA members for “waking up OSU.” Fellow unions joined CWA on the picket lines and donated money to the strike fund, and the Dispatch carried stories almost daily.
“It was a definite win,” he said. “People are saying to me, ‘It looks like organized labor is back.’”