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Wang and Cagigas are fools if they think the unions are going to agree to open their contracts. The YSU Trustees really need to get out and talk to some real people, and find out how people who work for a living actually live. They continue to leave Sweet in office, knowing he is responsible for the adversarial atmosphere that exists between the unions and the administration. The unions won't voluntarily give up a penny while Sweet and his flunkies remain in power.

And while we're at it, could someone tell me how Strickland is any better than Taft, with regard to his treatment of higher education?

Why don't they close that cesspool called "Metro College" and save a few hundred thousand dollars a year for starters? Talk about a black hole! Does the public even think about that place, or do they just think about downtown YSU. Remember the thousands of dollars the Executive Director spent on furniture a couple of years ago? But, let's cut the staff's wages so we can have more money at the top to blow.

Disgruntled Wrote:
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> Why don't they close that cesspool called "Metro
> College" and save a few hundred thousand dollars a
> year for starters? Talk about a black hole! Does
> the public even think about that place, or do they
> just think about downtown YSU. Remember the
> thousands of dollars the Executive Director spent
> on furniture a couple of years ago? But, let's
> cut the staff's wages so we can have more money at
> the top to blow.


Maybe you should realize that some of us actually ATTEND the metro college and don't want to go to the main campus.

Yeah, I realize that. You few people really add up the dollars to offset the waste that that place causes. Maybe you should realize that you can't get a degree from the Metro "College" and you can take any of their non-credit classes umpteen other places like the Vocation School or Malone or even some of the high schools in this area. Do the Ohio taxpayers need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay rent (over $200,000 a year) and salaries of so-called professionals when they have a college seven miles down the road? That's like Southern Park Mall building another Sears in Canfield. Sears would definitely lose money on the Canfield store, wouldn't you agree?

The current administration has a cavalier attitude towards the bargaining unit contracts (what happened to "The arbitrator's decision is binding upon the University, the Union, and the grievant." - section 9.8F), grievances, and signed memorandums of understanding.

And they want us to give back more, when they're not honoring what's already in place? Perhaps instead they need to get rid of the high-priced labor attorneys that are getting paid to give them this bad advice.

YSUGeek

Maybe some deal could be worked out. Let the ADMINISTRATORS at least TRY to set a
good example. They could go first - take the wage freeze for themselves and see what effect this has on the budget. Then, if they really want to get serious, they could just maybe agree to stop throwing away hundreds of thousands of dollars every few months on high priced outside legal counsel to fight lawsuits over grievances, unjustly fired staff and faculty suing for justice, etc., etc., etc.

You know, a few hundred thousand here, a few hundred thousand there - it starts to add up. Maybe they could come close to balancing the budget right here. And if not, then and only then, should they ask for help from the unions. They would be much more likely to get it then. I don't actually expect to see this though. Too much common sense.

Right on Union Member. Don't forget about all the outside consultants fees paid out over the years because the top administrators are either not competent to do the high-paid jobs they were hired to do or else they are too busy with their personal concerns to do. This could add up to quite a pretty penny also.

Budget problems solved. No thanks necessary - all in a day's work.

The whole issue revolves around all the people who are retiring this year since the University gave a 2 year buy out. The University put the buy out on the table during negotiations - not the unions! Now they want to freeze wages and stick it to the people who are retiring.

I am sick and tired of the Administration and the Board putting it to the little person who work their duffs off to keep YSU going. We are the ones who make YSU what it is not those sitting in their big, fancy offices in Tod Hall who have no idea what is really happening on the campus. They only know from "reports", and we all know that reports can be altered to make issues look good or bad.

I challenge the Board of Trustees to freeze the wages of all top administrators this year and see how much money can be saved!!! Why not cancel some of Sweets perks this year. That would really save the University a whooping amount of money!

One more thing - there should be a freeze on administrators hiring or creating new jobs for their buddies. This would really save big time.