In December 2019 the Negotiations Committed delivered A presentation to the College Administration. Download it below.

Negotiation Presentation December 2019

The President was upbeat and attentive throughout our discussions, and seemed eager to share what he billed as very positive directions for the College—to be revealed. Naturally, Dr. Kim is very excited about the new Student Center being almost ready for prime time. He expressed appreciation for the consistent staff support for the project! Watch for the soft launch in the summer.

There seemed to be some deeper appreciation for what staff actually adds to the student experience and success potential on a day-to-day basis. Problems with providing needed services at our below skeleton crew levels of staffing were noted—on at least one occasion, Mr. Pernot jotted down notes on the problem for future action.

One of our questions related to this idea of emphasizing “access to success” rather than just getting more students enrolled. (Check out the Enrollment strategy that was rolled out at last week’s College-wide Forum.) Money Matters is a student financial literacy program that Flor Carabez, Union Membership Chair, has implemented and explored through outside conferences and networking in the field. None of her valuable activities has been compensated or supported by the College. Dr. Kim was impressed with the program she described, and it demonstrated in a concrete way that staff are intellectual and creative too—not just the faculty. Yet staff is not well-supported with professional development opportunities, a lack we emphasized. Dr. Kim also acknowledged that training is needed for new managers, citing Apple’s research on indicators of partner success. Top indicator is that a company provides professional development up front.

Staff is also knowledgeable about the challenges at hand, from a frontline perspective. This is generally not acknowledged nor do we yet have a good way to provide crucial input to administrators; USofCC gave examples of mistakes that could have been avoided. Dr. Kim recognized that it’s an ongoing issue, but indicated that Academic Affairs would take the lead rather than HR. HR asserted that they have worked with academic leadership in the past to re-instate positions. The issue of gaining input from staff expertise on issues of importance to the College was not fully addressed.

Obviously “chop from the top” is not quite embraced as an approach, though the President acknowledged that there is some bloat. However, administration does appear to realize that further cutting would be straight through the bone, and that there is no more fat. In fact essentials are being diminished, causing deterioration of the students’ experience, and damaging the perception of the College by potential students when they visit. We stressed that empty “welcome” centers do not give the message we want.

While Dr. Kim spoke at length about his hopes for the new Provost, and has done so in the past, he also expressed a caveat that none of us should place too much on their shoulders. That said, he aims to correct what he termed “overbuilding” of rules and policies in order to integrate new systems better. Dr. Kim emphasized that a student and USofCC rep were included in the Provost search committee. He’s looking for someone who is expert at communications, who can talk and listen to people and engage in ongoing discussions.

Serendipitously, I have been reading Alliance: Talent Management in a Networked World which highlights these two things, among others:

1. The importance of leveraging the knowledge and experience of ALL employees for problem-solving and innovation, not just the same handful of higher level administrators around the same tables and,
2. The value of supporting employees to expand their professional networks, contacts, and participation in external professional associations to grow their expertise and understanding of ways to creatively address issues and offer better services. Both the “company” and the employee benefit.

These ideas were amply outlined and illustrated by your Union Executive Board members and colleagues, and were well received. Your Union will work to make these approaches, and more, a matter of policy and practice.

See you on February 7^th and 14^th at the Provost candidate Forums! (@Film Row, 3pm)

—Laurie Moses, Union VP

“Over the past ten years, while the college has experienced structural and financial challenges due to declining enrollment, it is our staff who are facing the difficulties and challenges of trying to make ends meet and properly serve our students with declining resources. We believe that the principal challenge in these upcoming negotiations is to negotiate a contract that takes full account of the needs of our staff members and recognizes our contributions to the College at time of retrenchment by the College.

Columbia has undergone several reorganizations, which has included selling at least 4 buildings, resulting in new revenue of more than one hundred million dollars, The College has also saved money through the consolidation of departments, centralization of operations, 2 employee buyouts, the freezing of vacant positions, and the layoff of more than 150 of our fellow staff members, many of whom had devoted many years of service to the College. These cost-cutting measures have made union staff positions more vulnerable. Today, Union positions make up less than 18% of persons employed by Columbia.

With each layoff or job elimination, our remaining staff members are required to take on additional duties.

HR tells us that our increased workload is considered “in the scope of our job descriptions” and therefore staff is not entitled to additional financial compensation. Productivity and morale begin to suffer under these conditions, and we would like these negotiations to address this problem.

In a report shared with us, the administration has stated it will spend over 25 million dollars to upgrade equipment, facilities, increase marketing and double student scholarships. We believe that these dollars also need to be committed to our staff and to the student services that we provide.

One of Dr. Kim’s promises to the college community when he began his tenure, was to promote the concept of shared sacrifice from among all levels of the College. We took that to mean that all levels of the administrative staff would share the burden of layoffs and cost reductions. Yet each year, since 2013, the staff has comprised a substantial majority — usually up to 80 to 90 percent of those laid off and the number of staff positions has dropped significantly. Yet we can’t help but notice that the upper administration continues to grow in size along with the number of outside consultants hired to support these new initiatives.

This Summer, Union leadership surveyed and met with members in small groups to discuss their needs and concerns. We learned a lot. The work they do for students is rewarding and it is the reason they enjoy their jobs and why they choose to work here. The staff are also proud and have unwavering support for their union. Their top financial concerns are the cost of their health care, the preservation of their benefits, and salaries–which continue to lag. This salary crisis requires that many staff members obtain a second job or look for a better-paying first job.

For a while, we could absorb more work, but there is a limit, and we have reached that tipping point. The staff is cut to the bone. Some staff take work home, stay late as they are committed to the College and its mission, yet we are told there is no overtime. Most staff are becoming discouraged and disheartened. Understaffed departments are seeing a noticeable rise in turn-over rates. They are frustrated with their managers who promise them more pay, but months later learn their managers don’t have the authority to make financial offers.

A dedicated staff is invaluable. We are the ones on the ground with vital institutional knowledge. Staff members are often the first faces that our students and their families see, or speak with or email. Staff members are the ones who make sure Columbia is showcased beautifully – from events to our campus in the heart of one of the world’s great cities. This is our value and this is how we see our role.

We are deeply committed, deeply devoted and ready to partner in good faith with our administration leadership, and with all of the Columbia College family. It is in our interest to see the College grow, to see it succeed and to be a part of that success.

We want our students to go out in the world and make a difference. And while we are enormously proud of the work we do, we want to be full participants, fully engaged and aligned with Columbia’s future, and fully able to build a good life for ourselves and our families.

Thank you.”

Last week, the Executive Board of the USofCC Union met with Columbia College Chicago President Kim to discuss various issues important to the Union. Dr. Kim spoke frankly about recent layoffs, new hires, and the direction of the College.

We discussed fundraising efforts, and Dr. Kim expressed confidence in the increasing donor interest he’s witnessed including more contributions from alumni. He was also excited to announce a new position in enrollment management with a fresh innovative direction, and he is very supportive of Mark Rosati’s work in his role as VP of Strategic Communication and External Relations. He would like to direct more resources to support a larger marketing campaign that would not just cover Columbia as a whole but would focus on individual programs. Dr. Kim did express concern that recent marketing efforts did not showcase the College’s unique strengths.

The Union expressed concern about the College’s emphasis on hierarchy, and we conveyed that staff members are made to feel replaceable and not valuable to our college community. An example we used was the tendency to lay off essential personnel without having a plan to cover the important work that is lost, let alone the institutional knowledge. The small salary increases used to cover additional work exacerbates the feeling, and there is the issue of honoring compensation retroactively when additional work is incurred. The Union also reminded the President that some staff members have been here for one, two and three decades. For many staff members, Columbia College is their second home and a career with which they have defined themselves with pride. Staff contributions and dedication need to be recognized and celebrated. Staff morale also needs to be addressed, which we highlighted, suggesting action items like professional development opportunities and supervisor evaluations.

The search for a new Provost has begun and Dr. Kim said he was not limiting the search, but he would like to see a female candidate immersed in the arts and not isolated to academia. He plans to seek candidates who can realize ideas and translate concepts into actions. Asked about the school structure, Dr. Kim said he would leave the discussion for the next Provost, though he still believes there are benefits to additional program/department realignments. He was surprised by the recent departures of some upper level administrators but feels confident the College has the capacity and talent to continue to improve upon the work started in the office of Equity and Inclusion while a search for a new Dean in both the School of Fine and Performing Arts and DEI are conducted.

The Union encouraged Dr. Kim to communicate and share his views more often with the college community. We assured him that we would welcome his thoughts and insights, more so than a requisite announcement of a new hire, departure or of an honor. Dr. Kim spoke with greater confidence about the direction of the College and his role in shaping Columbia’s future.

Dear Colleagues,

I write with a few updates and information about our first General Membership meeting of 2018.
The Board had a very successful meeting with Dr. Kim at the end of last semester. We discussed some concerns we had regarding a recent shift, from paying overtime, to changing staff member schedules to accommodate special college programming. While the Union supports new recruiting initiatives such as multiple Admitted Student Days, some departments were requiring staff to shift their schedules which would have required staff members to work on Saturdays avoiding overtime compensation. Working with Human Resources, the Grievance Chairs fought to protect our right to overtime. However, attempts to alter our schedules will, I fear, become more common and we will need to be vigilant to protect scheduled work hours.

Currently, the Grievance Chairs continue to work to protect staff members from taking on additional work without additional compensation. The Union understands the pressures caused by the continued decline in enrollment and we support all new systems and programs the Administration develops to improve the College’s standing But, additional work needs to be recognized and valued with additional applicable compensation. Added duties, shifting schedules and the dissection of our 40-hour work week are issues we are confronting as college resources become tighter.

On March 12, we will host our first General Membership meeting of 2018. Please mark this date on your calendar so you can join your colleagues at noon on the 1st floor of the 623 building. We will be serving lunch and discuss the activities of your Union. I urge you to participate – we welcome and need your voice. To prepare for the meeting, we need you to complete a survey using this LINK (to come). This survey will collect information about your Columbia working experience in an effort to understand your needs and concerns as we prepare to negotiate a new contract. The standard items are on the top of the list, salaries and health care, but we know you have many other concerns and we need to hear from you, so please take five minutes and complete the survey. At the Membership meeting, we will discuss some of your findings.
In other news – some informational items I hope you will find helpful: When you go to HR, let the union know. HR is here to protect you, but they also represent our employer, Columbia College Chicago. The Union represents staff and considers your needs first. We need to hear from you, if you have issues or concerns about practices in your department. We encourage you to visit HR , but please keep the union informed. Had we not heard from our membership about the push to avoid overtime, we would not have been informed to fulfil our mission to protect you. Admitted Days affects many departments and staff.

May Layoffs need to stop. Columbia will not succeed if they continue to cut staff. Top administration need to share the burden of layoffs with all college members.
I am very encouraged by the dedication and energy of our Negotiation team. Their efforts need to be matched by a strong and creative Contract Support Team. This group will become the face and voice of our negotiations. We need spirited members to take our message to the community, so our demands will be heard. This group will help us to present a united and strong front in face to the administration. Please consider joining, lending your time and energy. Nothing is more rewarding than fighting for your rights and protecting your benefits.
Thank you for all you do for Columbia College, for our students, and for our union.

Sincerely,

Craig Sigele
President