Butler County Community College sign

Following news that its support staff employee union could go on strike after 18 months of contract negotiations, Butler County Community College released a statement Wednesday, June 5, saying trustees agreed to a state mediator’s suggestion last month to revive an expired contract, which the union rejected.

Contract negotiations between the two parties resumed May 13. The union, which represents secretarial and clerical employees, rejected the suggestions due to a wage dispute.

According to the college, the revised contract offer included an increase to the one-time retirement incentive payment from $8,000 to $10,000, as suggested by the mediator. Trustees also agreed that wage increases be retroactive to July 1, 2023.

Prior to negotiations in May, the college voted against recommendations for wage increases after a fact-finding report, which had to be accepted or rejected in its entirety, was issued by a third-party arbitrator. While the college and the union have tentatively agreed on a number of issues in the contract, overall costs and wage increases continue to be a point of disagreement.

Brooke Witt, a union field director, said the college’s refusal to approve the union’s proposed wage increases were a “major sticking point” in issuing the strike authorization. Moving forward, she said the union also has formed a settlement task force.

Witt said the union is asking for 4% raises, with the college having proposed a 3% raise along with a $500 adjustment to salary.

“We’re not miles apart, but the college has drawn a line in the sand,” Witt said. She said union members took a 1.5% increase in 2022.

“At the same time, faculty got 3.5% increases, and other employees got substantially larger increases,” she said. “We’re looking to level the playing field.”

While the college’s revised best offer has included a retirement incentive that has increased to $10,000, Witt said the union’s proposed wage increase is not about a one-time payment. Additionally, Witt said the incentive applies to employees nearing retirement age who have worked for the college for a certain number of years. Over half of union members are not yet in that category, she said. Out of 45 staff members, approximately 13 are retiring under the contract, she said.

Witt maintains while they are in disagreement over the percentage raise, both sides have acknowledged a raise for support staff is appropriate.

“(Support staff) took lower raises in the past, and this group really feels like they were there for the college when the college needed help and its financial future was uncertain,” she said.

According to the school, “secretarial and clerical employees have continued to work under the terms of a previous contract’s addendum that expired June 30, 2023.”

“College and union negotiators have met 14 times since January 2023 and have tentatively agreed on approximately 17 issues,” the college reported.

The college’s three-year offer made to employees in October featured a first-year $500 increase to base salaries for full-time employees; a 25 cent-per-hour increase for part-time workers; 3% annual raises for all employees; and increases to starting salaries for new full-time employees to $36,542 in the first year, $37,273 in the second and $38,018 in the third.

The college’s offer includes starting hourly rates for full-time secretarial and clerical employees of $20.30 for a 37.5-hour workweek.

The college’s contract offer would have expired June 30, 2026. Its expenses are included in operating fund deficits projected in April to total approximately $4.8 million from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026. BC3 projects operating budgets of $26.1 million, $26.9 million and $27.7 million in the next three fiscal years, beginning in 2024.

The college also stated it has experienced a credit enrollment decline of 37% since 2014 and is facing a 9% increase to health insurance costs effective July 1.

“The fact that the college can’t afford the wage increase is ludicrous,” Witt said. “Yes, they’ve had declining enrollment, but they’ve also adjusted staffing. This bargaining unit is down $192,000 in payroll since we started bargaining because people have retired or resigned and they haven’t replaced positions.”

“This is about wages that are appropriate as we move into the future,” Witt said. “A third of the membership will be here for five plus years. They work in the community. They live in the community. They value their work.”