2008 Woodie Awards
Teachers' union lobbies for pay increase
By Erica Tuggle
Issue date: 3/20/08 Section: News
At the UT Day on the Hill ceremony in Nashville Feb. 27, UT system president John Peterson announced his agenda for the UT system, and in response, on March 11, 12 members of UTC's teachers' union traveled to Nashville to lobby for pay raises.
The union lists in its wants an across-the-board pay raise of no less than 4 percent, a flat dollar minimum raise that benefits the low-paid higher education workers of no less than $1,500, compression pay equal to what other state workers have already received, overtime pay at the standard time-and-a-half rate for UT agricultural extension workers who are currently exempted from overtime pay due to legal loophole and no "merit" pay without a cost-of-living raise with a $1,500 'floor' and fair, transparent standards.
Luke McNeely, a senior from Knoxville, supports the lobby.
"I don't think any employees but the administrators make adequate money," McNeely said.
Shela VanNess, a professor of sociology at UTC, and the vice president of the United Campaign Workers Communication Workers of America, joined the union members in Nashville for the lobbying.
The group set up meetings with the legislators to discuss how the state budget would look, in hopes to get the legislature to see the logic of their plan, VanNess said.
VanNess said the state has a tight budget this year in regards to higher education, and whatever pay raises are passed down, Peterson wants to control where they are distributed.
"Many make below living wage, and the cost of living has gone up," VanNess said. "We don't want to lose more of the faculty because of low pay."
VanNess said the Progressive Student Alliance from UT came Tuesday and Wednesday to the UC during spring break to meet with the board of trustees and make them aware of the living wage deficit.
"We have to have a great university because if the university is top notch then industries are attracted here," VanNess said. "As the university rises, so does the community."
The union lists in its wants an across-the-board pay raise of no less than 4 percent, a flat dollar minimum raise that benefits the low-paid higher education workers of no less than $1,500, compression pay equal to what other state workers have already received, overtime pay at the standard time-and-a-half rate for UT agricultural extension workers who are currently exempted from overtime pay due to legal loophole and no "merit" pay without a cost-of-living raise with a $1,500 'floor' and fair, transparent standards.
Luke McNeely, a senior from Knoxville, supports the lobby.
"I don't think any employees but the administrators make adequate money," McNeely said.
Shela VanNess, a professor of sociology at UTC, and the vice president of the United Campaign Workers Communication Workers of America, joined the union members in Nashville for the lobbying.
The group set up meetings with the legislators to discuss how the state budget would look, in hopes to get the legislature to see the logic of their plan, VanNess said.
VanNess said the state has a tight budget this year in regards to higher education, and whatever pay raises are passed down, Peterson wants to control where they are distributed.
"Many make below living wage, and the cost of living has gone up," VanNess said. "We don't want to lose more of the faculty because of low pay."
VanNess said the Progressive Student Alliance from UT came Tuesday and Wednesday to the UC during spring break to meet with the board of trustees and make them aware of the living wage deficit.
"We have to have a great university because if the university is top notch then industries are attracted here," VanNess said. "As the university rises, so does the community."
