By Denise Dick
Youngstown
The Youngstown State University faculty will vote early next week on a tentative agreement for a three-year contract that includes higher health-care contributions and an $80,000 cap on summer-school pay.
The Vindicator has learned that the tentative agreement reached Wednesday between the administration and faculty union calls for no raises in the first two years with a 2 percent increase in the third and final year.
Spokespeople for neither the university nor the union confirmed agreement details.
The employee health-care contribution also will increase in an amount that equals 10 percent the first year, 12 percent the second and 15 percent the final year.
The formula developed for health care is income-based, meaning those who make more will pay more while those making less will pay less.
A third tier also was added for health care, allowing a category for single-plus-one in addition to single and family coverage.
The percentage for summer-school pay also will be reduced and the amount capped at $80,000. Previously, the cap was $100,000.
This year, the highest summer-school pay was $40,380.
The average faculty nine-month salary is about $72,000. Summer-school pay is in addition to the regular salary.
The tentative agreement comes after weeks of meetings between the two sides.
Last month, the faculty union rejected what the university had termed its last, best offer, saying members would strike before the start of the fall semester.
The union leadership changed gears within hours of the vote, though, opting not to strike and to keep talking with administration representatives.
The agreement was reached between the two sides a few days after the administration reached a tentative agreement with its Association of Classified Employees last week.
ACE employees are to vote on the proposed pact Monday. The faculty vote will run two days, Monday and Tuesday.
Comments
Lucky you, an income based health care contribution is awesome. My employer charges all employees 20% regardless of income. So those making 24,000 a year are paying the same as the CEO who makes 6 figures. How fair is that? Also, you are at least getting a raise eventually. My employer has had us on a pay freeze for the past 4 years. Our health insurance plan also requires a "wellness screening" to help lower our premiums. The screening includes fasting blood work to check cholesterol, glucose, nicotine and several more. A height, weight and waist measurement and 2 BMI tests and blood pressure check. They probably even check our DNA, although they deny that they are checking the DNA. If you pass all the screening tests, you can save money on your premiums. The sad thing for us is that we work at a hospital. There are no employee discounts for us on our healthcare. By the way, if you happen to be a part-time employee you can not buy the health insurance. You are basically working at a hospital and are among the uninsured. They are currently cutting employees and making them part-time. We are following the lead of the Cleveland Clinic which has the highest number of uninsured workers.
15% for healthcare seems overly generous to me when I pay 30% in the private sector. I support SB5 so at least everyone employed by Ohio governments pays something.
Magnolia,
I never heard of that. 20% of 24,000 is less than 20% of 48,000. You math doesn't make sense.
Do people who make more money have greater health care needs? I don't understand the reason for percentage. Everyone should pay either the same amount or it should be based on the risk factors. Income levels have little to do with a person's need for health insurance.
Save Our Country, Magnolia was stating everyone pay 20% of the cost of the health care plan regardless of income. If the cost of the plan amounts to $400 a month everyone pays the same amount. In this case the CEO and the cashier are paying the same amount for their plan.
So everyone in the private sector whining about how much they pay ought to look at faculty as a modem, not an enemy. Your companies, who are not hurting, are the ones making you pay that much. That includes the pharma companies. Quit whining.
exactly, quit complaining. UnionForever continues to make up fiction. If you really do pay 30% then its time for you to find another job and quit complaining and comparing your job to people who have earned masters and PHDs.
Normal in manufacturing industry is a shared percentage of health care. Most companys pay 75% to 80% leaving 20% to 25% for employees portion. ($1500 family plan = $300 to $375 per month). Now days there are 3 plans: employee, employee plus 1 and family. Spouses employeed full time are excluded if they have access to benefits from their own employer plans. The deductible, first dollars out of pocket, continues to rise annually as do co-pay dollars or percentage. Plans are not salary based but plan based. Self pay plans hire a third party administrator to handle all claims that go directly to the companys P & L.
Why use manual laborers the scale?Why not use industry managmenr