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Wednesday, August 23, 1978
University Dally Kansan
Med Center workers to stay while claims studied
By PHILIP GARCIA
Staff Writer
Custodians at the University of Kansas Medical Center agreed yesterday to remain at work while University officials investigate their claim of an undermanned work staff, a public service employee union official said.
After a three-hour meeting yesterday at the Med Center, prompted by a five-hour meeting with representatives of local employees, University and administration officials agreed to determine by Sept. 1 if an increase in custodial staff was necessary, Francis Jacobs, business agent of Local University.
until we can get things worked out," Jacob said.
"I think they (University and administration officials) realize the employees are serious and that there is a problem," he said.
RUSSELL MILLS, University director for support services, indicated that meetings with Med Center custodial supervisors are needed to determine if more custodians are need.
Service employees at the Med Center have been at odds with American
Management Services, which was contracted in April 1977 to supervise housekeeping at Red Center. Mediarians complain that the housekeeping program started by American Management has reduced the number of workers and increased the work load for each worker.
One month after the contract was signed, disgruntled custodians threatened to stage a walk-out in protest of American workers' management and but instead the workers worked out fivers.
directing employees where and what to clean and when, the purchase of new cleaning equipment and a gradual reduction in custodial staff from 180 to 120.
Workers complained that the quality of the cleaning equipment had not improved and that the new cleaning techniques and equipment were better than those we were cleaning larger work areas and cleaning them less often. The result, custodians say is an uncleamed medical facility.
THE NEW WORK program called for the training of employees in better work conditions.
Relations between the two groups worsened in March when Jacobs filed a complaint against the University with the Kansas Public Employees Relations Board
The complaint charged that American Management violated five sections of the state's labor laws by unlawfully altering contractual terms, according to consult union officials on such changes.
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS defended policy changes by citing a management rights clause (K.S.A. 75-4328) in the state statutes that stipulates use of the methods, means, and personnel by which operations are to be carried out."
In addition to the demand for an increase in custodial personnel, workers also expressed concern about starting pay for new workers, and asked that American Management establish a target date to start a new biweekly payroll plan. Workers now would be a month. Biweekly payrolls would add two payments a year to the current plan.
But the major concern, Jacobs said, is that the custodial staff be increased.
"We gave them specific numbers and positions that we are short in right now," Jacobs said. "We hope that concrete examples (1) but we're not looking past that date yet."