Contact: Larry Lewellen,

614-292-4164

  COLUMBUS -- Negotiators for The Ohio State University and the Communications Workers of America Local 4501 early this morning reached a tentative agreement which they hope will bring an end to the three-week-old strike by 1,900 union members.

The CWA leadership is asking members to return to their jobs starting Monday followed by a ratification vote which will take place next week.

"We are enormously pleased that we have been able to reach this tentative agreement," said Dr. William E. Kirwan, university president. "This is a landmark agreement that is fair and equitable and which addresses concerns raised by both sides. The wage package included in the accord was put on the table by the union's bargaining team and it is a package we are able to support. I am very hopeful that the university can begin to return to normal and that we will once again be able to call upon the valued skills and full services of the CWA."

Gary Josephson, president of the CWA local, said that the tentative agreement represents a significant step forward for his members and urged his members to ratify the accord.

"We pressed our issues and the university listened," Josephson said, "and we listened to the university's issues. In the end, we wound up with what I believe is a win/win agreement - one that has my full support and the support of our entire negotiating team. We are asking our members to return to work starting Monday."

Josephson and Kirwan also called upon faculty and students to return to their normal classroom activities.

"We appreciate the support faculty and students have shown," Josephson said, "and it has helped keep our spirits up during the strike. But now it is time for things to get back to normal."

Kirwan agreed, saying: "We must do everything within our ability to ensure that the student educational experience and support services for our students return to their normal and high levels as we reach the end of the quarter. We have much to do together."

The ratification vote will take place next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at various locations around campus to be designated by the union. Voting on regional campuses will also occur next week. Pending ratification, CWA members will work under the terms of the previous contract. Once ratified, the new contract will take effect beginning 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 27, 2000.

According to the terms of the tentative agreement, non-hospital CWA members will receive a $1 hourly increase in the first year of the three-year accord (effective with the pay period beginning 6/18/00); a 50-cent hourly increase in the second year, and an additional 50-cent hourly increase in the third year. The latter increases also will be effective at the start of the fiscal years.

CWA members who work in the hospitals will also receive a $1 hourly increase in the first year of the contract: a 50-cent hourly increase effective with the pay period beginning 6/18/00 and an additional 50-cent increase effective on their anniversary dates. In addition, these workers will receive a 40-cent hourly increase in the second year of the contract and an additional 50-cent hourly increase in the third year. The second- and third-year increases will be effective on the employee's anniversary date.

Hospital workers will receive evening and night shift differentials of 15 cents per hour in the first year, 20 cents per hour in the second year, and 25 cents per hour in the third year.

Furthermore, members of the bargaining unit will each receive a $420 cash payment upon ratification of the agreement.

Other provisions of the agreement, most of which were also included in the previous agreement, include:

-- A new pilot apprenticeship program for skilled trades and maintenance staff to take the opportunity to upgrade their skills. Staff who successfully participate in this program are eligible for additional pay increases.

-- The addition of the use of skilled trades job titles previously used only by the University Medical Center, which would allow opportunities for upgrade and promotion of qualified University staff.

-- An agreement to review job classifications for the purpose of developing skills assessment and learning components, with CWA to play a major role in selecting classifications for review.

-- Guarantees for the life of the agreement that the university will maintain its share of benefits costs at 85 percent of premiums for the university base plan, with bargaining unit members paying no more than the 15 percent they currently pay.

-- The ability for the university to hire in experienced staff at rates higher than the minimum. This provision would allow for enhanced recruitment of staff with previous experience, which would benefit all operations. The contract also continues to allow the university to provide pay adjustments to resolve inequity situations. New to this agreement is the provision of up to a 35-cent per hour adjustment for workers hired at minimum wage levels who successfully complete their 180-day probationary period.

-- Higher-performing employees will receive up to an additional $.15/hour in base pay effective June 2002, provided that the CWA and the university agree on objective and fair criteria.

-- The exclusion of sick leave from the accumulation of hours to be eligible for overtime.

-- The implementation of maximum wage rates for each classification; for individuals at or above maximum, 1/3 of the established pay increase would be in base pay and 2/3 in immediate cash payment. All increases will count toward retirement calculations.

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(LO)