Employee Assembly Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, April 18, 2001
12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Day Hall Board Room

I. Call to Order and Introductions

D. Darby, Chair, called the meeting to order at 12:15 PM.

Attendance:

Present: Timothy Anguish, Sharon Bahringer, Francisco Berry, Dawn Darby, Joseph DeMarco, Brian Goodell, Thomas Hoebbel, Dawne Martyniak, Cindy Monroe, Marlene Reitz, Cheri Woodward

Excused: Deb Billups, Denise Howland

Others Present: Amy Bunce, Hope Mandeville, Dennis Stein, Joe Shultz, Peggy Beach, Nadeem Siddiqui, Richard Anderson, Anke Wessels, Liz Chimienti

II. Approval of Minutes

D. Darby entertained a motion to suspend the agenda.

J. DeMarco made the motion.

T. Anguish seconded it.

D. Darby asked if there was any discussion or objections. There were none.

III. Old Business

Staff Dining Plan

Peggy Beach, Associate Director of Marketing and support services for Campus Life, passed around the updated brochure on the Mealchoice plan. She stated that response has been slow. The $15.00 enrollment fee will be waived for the first 1500 folks that sign up for it. She asked the EA for assistance with signup tables and what locations and times would work well.

Nadeem Siddiqui, Associate Director of Dining for Campus Life, said that there has been interest in the Mealchoice plan but the $15.00 fee has been a concern. He asked the EA for their help with having sign up tables and marketing strategy.

M. Reitz asked if this is part of the new employee orientation?

P. Beach said that not at this moment.

B. Goodell suggested putting the brochure in the packet that new employees receive at orientation.

S. Bahringer said that setting up a table at HO Plaza in front of Willard Straight would be a good place.

T. Hoebbel feels that setting up sign up tables at the actual facilities would work the best.

D. Stein suggested having something available at the SEED event.

M. Reitz asked what would happen when the students are not here and some of the dining locations close down? What locations will be open over the breaks?

P. Beach stated that Cascadeli, Sage, Big Red Barn, Martha’s, Theory Center, BioTech and the Alfalfa room will be open.

D. Darby asked if in terms of marketing, the Mealchoice cost will be payroll deductible?

P. Beach said that she had heard that yes, they can do it but policy and administrative wise, they are not ready. Not all of the systems are in place or ready.

D. Stein asked how many people had signed up for the Mealchoice plan so far.

P. Beach stated that less than 10 have signed up.

H. Mandeville submitted her application to make that 11.

D. Darby asked for any comments or questions. There were none.

EA Ad Hoc Outreach Committee Report

Joe Shultz, Assistant Director, Engineering Prof. Program, gave an update on the committee. The goals are to put together a reception for new employee’s hired within the last 2 years, and peer appreciation. The event will take place in the middle of June 2001. Cornell Dining will be providing the food and it will take place at the A.D. White House from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

J. DeMarco asked how many people usually attend?

J. Shultz stated that usually 50–100 people attend.

D. Stein asked what the 50–100 people are based on?

J. Shultz stated that he received a list from Human Resources. It is staff hired full time over the last 2 years.

D. Stein said that the reason he was questioning the total is because every week there is a Welcome to Cornell Orientation Program every Tuesday morning and there are usually 20–25 people that attend. He feels that the total amount of people would be greatly higher than the 50–100.

D. Darby said that she asked for a certain list from Human Resources. It was to invite only the permanent full time staff. The list was printed at the beginning of the semester.

H. Mandeville asked if the committee had a budget for this event?

J. Shultz thought that it was around $3,000.

J. Shultz will be requesting an updated list so that nobody gets excluded.

D. Darby asked J. Shultz if he could get a summary of the committee report to the EA members?

J. Shultz will email A. Bunce and she will forward the report onto the EA members.

D. Darby asked if there were any other questions or comments? There were none.

Living Wage Coalition

Anke Wessels, Director of CRESP and Liz Chimienti, Student of COLA .introduced themselves to the EA members.

D. Darby asked the EA members to review the discussion that they had at the last meeting.

T. Hoebbel asked what can the EA offer the coalition and what does the coalition have to offer the EA?

M. Reitz asked if Anke and Liz were representing the Justice for All?

A. Wessels said that the coalition consists of 10 members. They have been meeting about once a week. The coalition wrote a letter to President Rawlings back in December asking him to think about some certain points that were put in the letter when thinking about the livable wage.

L. Chimienti stated that all parts of the campus are trying to come together to get the word out. It is for all employees and not just the union.

D. Darby asked if they are asking for the EA’s support? There are a couple of ways to provide support by either writing a letter stating that the EA supports the coalition or to have the EA join. What would be required of the EA if they were to join the coalition?

A. Wessels said that the only requirement is that the EA believes in the concept of providing a living wage to all Cornell employees. That is what brings them all together.

They meet once a week to brainstorm ideas. The issue is to impress upon the administrators to live up to what they have spoken to us.

L. Chimienti said there are a lot of different ways to be involved. It is up to every group to determine how active they would like to be.

B. Goodell said that endorsement would help carry the weight.

A. Wessels said that if the EA were to join, everybody would be involved with making any and all decisions.

J. DeMarco asked if any other group, university dealing with the living wage?

L. Chimienti said that it started in Baltimore about 10 years ago. There are several other universities that are involved.

G. Pratt asked if the EA was to join the coalition and something happens that the EA doesn’t agree with, would there be an opportunity to address that while the EA is behind the coalition it doesn’t agree with what happened.

D. Stein asked if the coalition has met with the administration on any basis?

L. Chimienti replied by letters only.

D. Stein asked why only with letters?

L. Chimienti said that it is more of an educational approach with letter writing.

D. Stein asked how useful that is without meetings? The EA enjoys their relationship with the administrator’s. Does the coalition feel that it would be confrontational to meet with the administrator’s?

A. Wessels said that it is not a confrontational issue and they are very supportive of Mary George Opperman and the work she has done. Their purpose is to have an educational campaign. She does not foresee a confrontational issue. If the coalition and the administrator’s were to meet it would be by the administrator’s invitation.

D. Stein said that he senses that the coalition needs the EA more than the EA needs the coalition. What the assembly benefits from is not clear to him.

A. Wessels said that it would be very beneficial for the EA to sign on with the coalition.

G. Pratt asked if Liz and Anke had approached the Student Assembly yet?

A. Wessels stated that no they haven’t.

M. Reitz stated the EA needs to decide on how it affects the community and not just the 13 EA members.

T. Hoebbel agreed with Marlene. The decision should not be based on what the 13 members could gain but what all of the employees would gain.

D. Darby said that the EA is in a wonderful position. They protect the relationship they have with the administrator’s. They have been able to bring the administrator’s to the employees. The EA could be the advocate for the coalition group and sit down with the administrator’s.

A. Wessels responded that it is really an educational approach.

J. DeMarco said that joining the coalition it would help legitimize the action.

H. Mandeville asked if they were aware of what is being done now? She said that M. George Opperman reported to the EA at a recent meeting on how the salary improvement plan is being implemented and they should have that information.

B. Goodell said that this just isn’t the UAW. There are a majority of employees who do not belong to the union that are not making a living wage.

D. Darby stated that at one of the meetings that happened in November 2000, it was agreed that the EA would hold open forums. The EA is a group that represents the employees. The EA can be the group that reports the information to the administrator’s.

M. Reitz asked if frontline feedback represents employees?

D. Darby stated that yes it is. Salary has been one of the big issues from the front line feedback. The EA needs to decide about how the open forums are going to be set up.

T. Hoebbel made a motion to resume to the agenda to get to business of the day.

S. Bahringer seconded it.

D. Darby asked for discussion.

T. Hoebbel made a motion to table the approval of the minutes at the next meeting.

D. Martyniak seconded it.

D. Darby asked for objections or discussions. There were none.

T. Hoebbel made a motion to postpone open forum and report from the chair to get to business of the day.

B. Goodell seconded it.

D. Darby asked for objections or discussions. There were none.

T. Hoebbel made a motion for the EA to join the Cornell Living Wage Coalition.

S. Bahringer seconded it.

D. Darby asked for objections or discussions. There were none.

The employee assembly voted to join the Cornell Living Wage Coalition by a vote of 7-yes and 3 abstentions.

T. Hoebbel said that the EA would write a letter to send to the coalition letting them know that the EA wants to join with them.

IV. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 1:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Amy Bunce