University of Missouri employees raise concerns about benefits, wages at union meeting • Missouri Independent
Cathy Persinger, a janitor at the University of Missouri, had to move from Columbia because she could no longer afford life in the city, she said during a town hall meeting Saturday afternoon at the Unitarian Universalist Church.
“When I asked (the university) for a raise because I was so stressed, they told me about the food banks and other things on campus that I was already going to,” said Persinger, who makes just over $15 an hour. “And that’s not enough.”
Several university employees and community members expressed similar concerns. More than 150 people attended the town hall meeting, which included discussions about MU’s new parking model, changes to employee benefits, salaries and more.
The event was organized by MU Workers United and Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA) Local 955.
LiUNA representative Andrew Hutchinson said the university’s reluctance to negotiate on employee issues was the reason for Saturday’s town hall meeting.
“The university basically says, ‘We want to discuss this at the table.’ And then we sit down at the table and the rules change during the conversation, or they just go ahead and change things anyway,” Hutchinson said.
MU spokesman Christian Basi said the university had always been open to talks with the union.
“Whenever they have asked, we have always sat down with them and had open discussions about our challenges on these various issues. We are happy to explain decisions, talk about them and get their opinion,” Basi said.
Park
Parking has been a sensitive issue on campus lately. Starting in January 2025, the university plans to move to a demand-based parking model with tiered pricing for faculty and staff, a shift from the current salary-based model.
Hutchinson said workplace parking fees are detrimental to many union members who earn $15 or $16 an hour. Participants at the town hall meeting echoed that sentiment, raising concerns about safety and the availability of shuttle services from the parking lots.
“The university did not respond to us for months and then pushed through the parking fee increase overnight without even giving us a chance to respond at the negotiating table,” Hutchinson said.
Basi said the new model will allow employees to pay as little as $5 a month for parking, a reduction of at least $16.50 a month from the current model.
“Not only did we listen to the union, but we were able to offer an option that significantly reduces — not eliminates — but significantly reduces the cost of parking for people who want to use that option,” he said. “Instead of having people pay based on their salary, we created a structure that says the most in-demand parking spots are the most expensive, and the farther you go from the campus core, the cheaper they get.”
The university is aware of the need to use the shuttles more frequently and at different times of the day and is working to ensure this, Basi said.
Wages and benefits
Participants in the town hall meeting also expressed their displeasure over changes in workers’ wages and benefits.
Darrell Dillon, an electrician at MU, said employee benefits have been steadily reduced over the 14 years he has worked at the university.
“I was promised retirement if I stayed with them long enough, I was promised a pension, I was promised insurance, I was promised vacation, sick leave, personal days,” Dillon said. “When I started, I was promised a standard raise for everyone, then we get the merit raise system, which is nothing more than a popularity contest.”
According to Basi, the university’s performance-based salary increase system has been shown to best reward employees who do high-quality work and also motivate good employees.
Any person hired while the university’s pension plan is active will receive their pension, Basi said.
“Any time we make changes to benefits, we provide extensive notice to faculty and staff, depending on who it affects,” Basi said. “We work very hard to make sure we have competitive pay, good benefits and access to affordable parking to reassure people that the university itself is trying to make the work environment as welcoming as possible.”
engagement
A common theme from the perspective of participants and organizers was the university’s commitment and respect towards its employees.
“A lot of people got raises during COVID-19 because they were essential employees of the hospital and received (essential) staff benefits,” Hutchinson said. “University Hospital says it can cut the benefits at any time, and people are panicking because they could suddenly lose a large portion of their pay in a few weeks and (the employees) have no control over it.”
Eric Maze, public relations manager for MU Health Care, said the hospital still has 10 key staff compensation plans in effect through Sept. 14, 2024.
“Critical workforce plans will be reviewed every 12 weeks to determine if workforce issues persist, are likely to persist, or new issues have arisen,” Maze said in an email. “Critical workforce plans will continue to be part of our compensation strategy.”
This story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It may be republished in print or online.
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