Union Criticizes IU President McRobbie Leading Up To "State Of The University" Address
Indiana University
This is not the first time that Indiana University and the CWA have butted heads over staffing levels and administrative wages
The Communication Workers of America Local 4730 released a statement outlining their concerns about the future of Indiana University, just hours before IU President Michael McRobbie’s annual “State of the University” address.
The university and the college’s largest union spent much of the summer at odds, with the CWA out on the street protesting, attempting to bring their case to parents and potential students on campus for orientation or college visits.
Most of the group’s arguments center around staffing levels at Indiana University and perceived efforts to justify the firing of additional support staff at the school.
1) In July of 2011, support staff at IUB and IUN received raises of 1.5%, continuing a trend from the last ten years of not properly compensating staff with a cost of living increase.
2) President McRobbie received, for the fiscal year 2010-2011, a raise of 12%. Many other administrators also received double digit increases.
3) Health care, parking, and other costs continued to increase and overwhelm raises, and the Trustees have made it clear that more costs will be passed on to staff in the coming months.
4) The IUB School of Continuing Studies will be closed, negatively impacting staff in numerous ways and hurting the working class throughout the community looking to better educate themselves.
5) IU continues to show no interest in finding cost savings by addressing the well documented problem of ‘administrative bloat’ and reducing the number of (highly paid) administrators on campus.
The union did not peg all of it’s complaints on President McRobbie and IU’s Board of Trustees. They also addressed more overarching concerns with a series of cuts in higher education funding coming from the state legislature.
President McRobbie will be addressing the university at 2:00 pm today.
