Institute officials did offer the option of voluntary recognition, which was rejected by Union organizers citing fear of reprisal because under this situation RPI would have access to the names of employees who decided to sign the authorization card.
President Shirley Ann Jackson refused to answer questions concerning the unionization effort citing litigation and advice from General Counsel and Secretary of the Institute Chuck Carletta.
A survey of area colleges has revealed the general trend that janitorial employees who have no prior experience earn approximately $9.00 an hour, while non-union affiliated employees earn approximately $7.50 an hour.
RPI janitorial employees who as of today are not union affiliated earn $7.50 an hour. Sage College in downtown Troy which is SEIU union affiliated, but not linked to the local 200 branch, starting janitorial employees start at $9.70 an hour. Drucker expects that after negotiation the starting wage for a janitorial employee will rise to at least $9.00 an hour.
One of the most often cited criticisms of the Institute from housekeeping employees who maintain the dormitories and academic buildings on campus is of the staff shortage over the previous year. “There have been shortages in the residence areas especially. There has been high turnover and it is not easy work,” said Curtis Powell, VP Human Resources.
The shortage had its greatest effect during the summer, and required the redistribution of employees from the main campus to the residence halls. To fill the vacancies over the summer, the Institute brought in workers from outsourcing agency JJ Young, college students, and hired 8 to ten new employees.
The shortage, which has caused the shifting and in some case the expansion of “territory,” has resulted in the build-up of resentment among the Environmental Services staff.
Pro-union employees have been very reluctant to comment on the record about their stand. These employees often cite the case of Paul Barlow, a five-year employee who publicly commented to the Times Union about unionization efforts on campus on Tuesday, August 6.
On Friday, August 8, Barlow lost his job at RPI. In The Times Union article Barlow stated, “It’s great working for RPI, but we’re far behind other colleges on what the pay scale is.”
There has been much controversy surrounding Barlow losing his job at RPI. The Institute claims that Barlow was fired with cause after showing up to work intoxicated. Barlow strongly denies the claims and is in the process of pursuing legal action against the Institute.
“When it comes to discharging an employee because of unsatisfactory performance, we cannot do so without cause. That’s the law,” said Powell.
Powell went on to vehemently deny the allegation that Barlow’s firing was linked to his comments in the Times Union. “The two incidents are in no way connected. I won’t condone the dismissal of employees over their activity in the union, whether it is for it or against it.”
Richard D’Amico, a twenty-plus year employee of RPI, stated “I have been here long enough to know RPI is improving things around here. I am grateful for having employment here and while it may not be ‘perfect,’ RPI isn’t a bad place to work. A union is not needed here.”
Four employees who asked that their names not be used agreed, “We desperately need to form a union, because many of us have to work two jobs to support a family.” They cited harassment by supervisors and the need for a fair grievance process as additional reasons. “We love our campus and look forward to the day that we are treated fairly with dignity and respect,” they concluded.
While there are strong divergent views on the need for a union on campus among service employees, the unionization seems to have gained significant traction among the staff.
Two years ago the Environmental and Trades employees at RPI attempted to unionize under SEIU. The employees progressed to the point of the final secret ballot yes-no vote for unionization, and ultimately decided not to unionize in a 117-44 vote. Currently, SIEU is seeking to organize a smaller unit than in 2000, down from 161 employees to around 100.
“The organizing effort failed two years ago because RPI was restructuring its HR department and an appeal was made to the workers. ‘We know we have a problem—we have inherited this problem, but give us a chance to rectify it’,” said Drucker. Drucker went on to say that employees contacted him concerning an organizing effort because they were not satisfied with the changes that have occurred since 2000.
“I was contacted in May, I have been here six to seven months talking to employees, I wouldn’t have been here this long if no one was interested in organizing,” said Drucker.
Prior to the vote, the starting wage for an employee with no experience in the division was $6.25 an hour. After the vote the starting salary rose to $7.50.
“Since the vote in 2000, we’ve provided all workers with a job description, outlined expectations, and a career ladder. I stand by our record over the past two years. We’ve done a lot for Service Employees and we’ll continue to do more,” said Powell.
