"As some University of Virginia workers rally for better wages and benefits, they believe existing problems will only get worse, employees said Friday.

They said they worry about pressure to reduce employees’ salaries, a prestigious university becoming a place only for the richest students and an expensive area becoming increasingly out of reach for some employees.

That worry for the future is part of the reason why members of the employees’ union — known as Staff Union at the University of Virginia/Communications Workers of America — officially signed up faculty for the first time outside Bodo’s on the Corner on Friday. While faculty members have previously protested and rallied with union workers, they have never officially been a part of the union until now.

The university is looking at implementing a new personnel system, which Susan Carkeek, a UVa vice president and chief human resource officer, said will expand employee benefits. The system is being rolled out for public comment at a town hall meeting next week. Carkeek says it is the result of 300 people working on 20 different task forces and will feature new and improved benefits for employees and “market-based” compensation.

She believes employees’ worries will be addressed.

“What we’re trying to do is have the absolute very best workforce,” Carkeek said. “You don’t do that by cutting salaries.”

While faculty can bring their own concerns to the union, several there said it allowed them a chance to show solidarity with UVa employees.

Herbert “Tico” Braun, a Latin American history professor, said he was joining the union to show support. But he also has his own concerns about the university’s restructuring effort, and sees the effects of rising tuition in his classroom. Under restructuring, certain universities around Virginia gained autonomy over operations such as finances, human resources and construction projects. However, it also allowed the university more leeway in setting tuition.

“It makes me somewhat uncomfortable that I come at such a high price,” Braun said. Students of a decade or 15 years ago were more focused on the learning experience, Braun said. Now, he said, they expect high marks to come along with the lofty price tag. Last month, UVa’s Board of Visitors approved increasing in-state tuition and fees by 9.4 percent and out-of-state tuition and fees by 6.7 percent. In-state annual tuition and fees for undergraduates will rise $800, to $9,300, while out-of-state tuition and fees would rise $1,850, to $29,600.

With the cost of gasoline and food rising, Jan Cornell of the employees’ union said the union would continue to protest for a “living wage.” They believe employees should earn at least $11 per hour to start, while some now start at a little more than $10 per hour.

While contract employees often earn less, UVa officials said in a statement that they have no legal authority to make their contractors pay more, and point out that the $10 starting salary is much more than the $7.39 hiring rate for state classified employees." (Jeremy Borden, The Daily Progress, May 17, 2008)