printable versionUniversity and union reach agreement
BY MICHAEL PEÑA
A new three-year contract is in place for the 1,200 university technicians, maintenance staff and service workers who belong to the collective bargaining unit represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 715. On Sept. 7, union members voted overwhelmingly in favor of terms establishing wage increases and enhancements to health-care coverage, as well as other items set forth during negotiations with the university.
Talks between Stanford and SEIU Local 715 began July 20, with both sides saying that tremendous effort was involved in coming to an agreement. The union's contract expired Aug. 31, and the bargaining teams reached a tentative agreement on Sept. 6. Union leadership recommended ratification by membership during a vote the next day.
"I would like to thank the members of the negotiating teams, who worked so hard for nearly two months to reach this agreement," said Diane Peck, executive director of Human Resources. "I believe the new contract will help maintain Stanford's position as a first-rate employer in the Bay Area while providing a strong framework for the next three years, building on the foundation of excellence our staff continues to provide each and every day."
The wage terms of the new agreement are a 4 percent increase, effective Sept. 1, 2006, plus a 1 percent bonus; a 3.75 percent increase, effective Sept. 1, 2007; and a 3.25 percent increase, effective Sept. 1, 2008.
Another key part of the agreement implements a proposal that the university made in July. The new benefit, called the Health Care Assistance Program, will subsidize an employee's regular contribution for employee-plus-dependent coverage under the least expensive medical plan. The subsidy is up to 100 percent for employees working three-fourths time or more with verified household incomes of $45,000 or less. There is a sliding-scale subsidy for employees with household incomes up to $60,000.
Zev Kvitky, president of United Stanford Workers and member of Local 715's negotiating team, said the Sept. 7 vote was 95 percent in favor of ratifying the new terms. "These were very, very tough negotiations," said Kvitky, an operations engineer at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). "I'm very pleased that we were able to work with Stanford and that the members voted the way they did."
In addition to Kvitky, negotiating for the union were Rusty Smith (chief spokesperson), Monica Molina (Local 715 worksite organizer) and 12 bargaining unit members: Maria Carranza (Residential and Dining Enterprises—R&DE), Luis Carriel (R&DE), Chuck Cashion (R&DE), Mario Castillo (R&DE), James Dayton (SLAC), Ron Edwards (Facilities Operations), Jose Escanuela (Facilities Operations), Rafael Guerra (chief steward, R&DE), Richard Patrone (Facilities Operations), Jim Petro (School of Medicine), Ron Sanchez (SLAC) and David Toews (SLAC).
Stanford's negotiating team was made up of Susan Hoerger (chief spokesperson), Keith Smith (manager of labor relations), Cori Bossenberry (director of human resources, School of Medicine), Lee Lyon (director of human resources, SLAC), Robert Carpenter (director of operations, Facilities Operations), Brad Kampas (legal adviser), Herma Ross (director of financial operations and budgets, R&DE) and Rafi Taherian (executive director, R&DE).