SGA holds weekly meeting | Photo by Sarah Cavender | The Wright State Guardian
During their meeting on Jan. 28, Student Government Association (SGA) appointed several positions and discussed the potential Teamsters strike.
Chief Policy Officer Eli Smith was moved to the position of Director of Internal Affairs, previously held by James Curlis.
Two students, Caleb Smith and Christopher (Toph) Hartis, were appointed as Associate Justices.
On Jan. 23, the university imposed its last offer to the Teamsters (the final step before the union can issue a 10-day strike notice). The Fact Finder was rejected.
“There was a fact finder, [which] was rejected, and the best last offer was imposed. The summary of the offer boils down to this: there were five articles that were outstanding,” said SGA President Ivan Mallett.
Articles broken down
Parking
In their old contract, the Teamsters had capped how much their parking prices could increase per year. The university accepted the fact finder report, stating that the cap would be no more than $10 every year.
Layoff
The fact finder recommended that there should be no changes to the layoff process. The university accepted the recommendation.
Wages
The fact finder suggested that there should be a one-and-a-half percent increase in wages enacted retroactively in July of 2019, and a 1 percent increase starting July 2020. The university rejected that suggestion and switched it to a two-and-a-half-percent increase starting in July 2021 and in July 2022.
Employee benefits (still in contention)
Teamsters want to utilize the Teamsters healthcare from a national level. The university rejected, stating they want to keep the same universal healthcare that every employee at the university is on.
Furlough
The fact finder recommended a maximum of five furlough days. The university rejected, stating that furloughs were off the table and the teamsters will not be subject to them. The furloughs make up around 150 employees at the university that make up maintenance, janitorial staff and grounds.
They have filed a 10-day strike notice, with a strike date set for Feb. 3.
“[Aside from the visual aspect, the strike] will not affect your day-to-day operations,” said Courtney Mullins, program manager of student organizations and SGA advisor. “It is not something that we should be scared of.”
