June 16, 2010
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Gilbert Johnson
WSEU Local 82
FROM:
Shannon E. Bradbury
UWM Labor Relations Coordinator
RE:
WSEU Labor/Management Meeting Minutes for June 15, 2010
WSEU Local 82
Gilbert Johnson (AS)
Jackie Manght (T)
Georgia Lewis (T)
Berthina Joseph (AS)
Keith Jackson (BC)
Todd Biedermann (BC)
UWM
Shannon E. Bradbury
Kurt Hennemann
Colleen Murphy
Dave Danielson
Andy Nelson
Craig Rafferty
The next meeting will be held Tuesday, July 20. Please respond to items from your area by
Friday, July 16.
The meeting began at 9:05 a.m.
I.
NEW BUSINESS
A. UITS Data Center Layoffs. The parties discussed the situation of the six
employees who were laid off from the University Information Technology
Services (UITS) Data Center. The employees who were laid off, some of
whom have 25 to 30+ years of seniority at UWM have not yet found
alternative employment, even though some of the openings applied for would
be demotions. They complained that the one job that was created for a
Scheduler in the Data Center was given to someone without prior state service,
and the outgoing employees had to train her. They also maintain that students
are doing the work that was previously performed by permanent employees. At
the time of the layoffs the union did not ask for a meeting with the
management of UITS. The employees would like the Provost to be aware of
their situation and the union suggested that it is hypocritical to give awards for
length of service and then lay off 30-year employees without trying to find
alternative placements for them. The union also suggested that UITS pay an
incentive amount to units that hire the laid-off workers, as an incentive to hire
long time employees who might need some retraining.
B. Facility Services Issues. Stewards Selection. The union complained that the
supervisors in Buildings & Grounds were not always allowing employees the
stewards of their choice for predisciplinary meetings. Dave Danielson,
Director of Facility Services, said he would make sure that employees are
offered their first choice of steward if that steward is available.
Emergency Care. An attendee to the meeting questioned the wisdom of
directing employees hurt on the job to see their own private physicians instead
of going directly to the emergency room at Columbia-St. Mary’s Hospital.
Employees are advised to seek care from physicians within their own health
insurance networks on the chance that a Workers Compensation claim may be
rejected, but anyone truly injured on the job should seek emergency care at the
closest ER.
Columbia-St. Mary’s. On a related issue the union asked whether the UWM
plans for Columbia-St. Mary’s hospital include moving the Norris Health
Center into any of the available medical care facilities.
Mitchell Hall. Mr. Danielson noted that the custodial break room in Mitchell
Hall is under construction, along with five other break rooms on campus that
will be refurbished. The supervisors will be given a schedule of when the
rooms will be completed. The WATER Institute still needs a custodial break
room.
C. Physical Environment Committee. WSEU Local 82 has an appointee to the
Physical Environment Committee (PEC), a standing faculty committee.
However, that representative has noted that the issues undertaken by the
committee are applicable to more than just the faculty. He feels that the PEC
should have a representative of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
Advisory Committee on every vote, and that there should be more voices for
the classified and academic staff, as they are just as likely to understand the
physical needs of the campus as the faculty. He feels that without adequate
input on decision-making up front, there is too much time and effort wasted in
fixing things later that were unconsidered. A change to the membership of the
PEC would have to be approved by the Faculty Senate.
II.
OLD BUSINESS
A. Health & Safety
1. Completed or Ongoing Projects
Bolton B45
Greene Museum
Mitchell B23
Union EB80D, WG01F, WG01W
2. Pending Projects
Bolton (energy) performance contract
Curtin 124, 532, 533, 534, 536, 537
Engelmann B1, B2
Physics 434
Union WB25, WB27, WB31
Wisconsin Asbestos Lead Management System (WALMS) survey of
Engelmann, Saukville Field Station, Zelazo Center
Theatre TB33
A detailed list is available at:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/PPS/Usaa/ASB/projects.pdf
3. Remodeling. The union inquired as to whether there were any concerns
with the remodeling of bathrooms into offices. Colleen Murphy, Associate
Director of University Safety and Assurances (US&A) stated that there are
no health or air quality issues with the conversion of a bathroom, but she
does have some misgivings about the conversion of laboratories.
B.
UWM Police Department Banning Procedures. Following up on an
issue from last month regarding homeless people in the UWM Union, Police
Officer Craig Rafferty addressed the group to discuss the measures that need
to be followed to ban someone from a campus building. The Building Chairs
have the actual authority to ban individuals who cause chronic problems. If
you encounter someone who is causing a disruption, the Police recommend
you call them instead of trying to confront the individual yourself. The more
information the Police can gather with regard to disruptive incidents, the
better a case can be made for banning.
C.
HRS PeopleSoft Project and Time Keeping. In a continuing
conversation from last month’s meeting, the union described a situation
wherein the department timekeeper is off in the summer and the faculty
supervisor is often gone. The question then becomes what is the internal
mechanism for time records to be approved when the primary approver is
absent. Will there be an automatic forwarding of time records to a backup
approver?
D.
Departmental Meetings with School/College Administration. Modeled
on the regular meetings held with Administrative Support staff and the Dean
of Continuing Education, the union suggested that every School and College
should have monthly update meetings for Administrative Support personnel
with the respective Dean or Associate/Assistant Dean, so as to keep abreast
of what is going on.
E.
Union Meetings. The Union president stated that the union meetings
provided for by contract (membership meetings, stewards meetings,
executive board meetings, Labor/Management meetings and educational
classes) is insufficient time for him to meet with members. He requested to
hold additional meetings in individual buildings over the lunch hours. The
employer does not sanction such additional meetings for employer-paid
time, but employees may meet whom they wish on their lunch periods.
The meeting ended at 11:10 a.m.
III.
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, July 20 in 122 Engelmann Hall, 9:00 a.m.
Cc:
Carlos Santiago
Steve Butzlaff
Karl Sparks
Bob
Grieshaber
Mike Reck
John Krezoski
Colleen
Murphy
Christy Brown
Dave Danielson
Linda Woods
Dev Venugopalan
Kathy Heath
Johannes Britz
Mary Kay Madsen
Michael Marzion
Scott Gore
Tom Viel
Amy Otis-Wilborn
Cathy Kroeger
Bruce Maas
Erica Paczesny
LeRoy Stoner
Deans/Division Heads
Personnel Representatives