The idea of benefits for certain Other Personnel Services workers with the University of Florida has re-emerged.
A resolution was travelling to the UF Faculty Senate on Thursday afternoon for an information item that gone to make UF’s non-student hourly Other Personnel Service employees viewed as Technical, Executive, Administrative and Managerial Support (TEAMS) workers for you to supply to them increased benefits and wages as they been employed by along at the university for about 12 months.
The resolution was authored by Dr. Paul Ortiz, a user professor at UF, an associate the Alachua County Labor Coalition and director on the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program.
Other Personnel Workers provide services and support to students and faculty, Ortiz said, so their conditions impact students’ learning experiences and faculty members’ teaching experiences.
This resolution isn’t about setting policy, Ortiz said, instead about joining the UF Faculty Senate in a single voice to highlight the challenge.
“If we’re treating people unequally on campus, then we are really not truly living about our strive to be a top-notch 10 university,” Ortiz said.
Currently, Other Personnel Service workers don’t receive paid sick or paid vacation days, nor would they receive any Social Security advantages of the university, based on a search survey conducted through the Alachua County Labor Coalition, though employees do pay into an alternate FICA system.
When the university closes for holidays or tornados, Other Personnel Employees do not receive pay.
One response from an anonymous Other Personnel Service employee declared that they lost a week’s worth of wages when Hurricane Irma hit which caused the employee to reduce their residence and become homeless, according to an investigation survey within the Alachua County Labor Coalition.
The University of Florida increased the minimum wage for TEAMS employees in January 2016 to $12 1 hour, based on an investigation survey on the Alachua County Labor Coalition, but couldn’t include Other Personnel Service Employees on this hike in wages.
UF President Kent Fuchs said the university looks at Other Personnel Workers who were in their role to get a significant timeframe to ascertain if a title change is suitable.
“We’re not checking out paying OPS workers for time in they will fail,” Fuchs said.
No Other Personnel Workers were present at Thursday’s meeting.
Ortiz’s resolution will progress being an action item for being voted on over the following UF Faculty Senate meeting.
UF Faculty Senate Chair David M. Quillen said the resolution must be approved by way of a majority of the senators present for the next meeting for you to pass.
The next UF Faculty Senate meeting is scheduled for April 19.
