Thursday marks the first day of the new fiscal year, and Indiana U. employees will come together to silently protest the campus-wide salary freeze approved in the 2010-11 budget by wearing black clothing or a black ribbon throughout the day.
In a May meeting, the Board of Trustees announced a budget that does not provide an increase in salaries for IU faculty and staff for the second consecutive year.
Now, the Communications Workers for America Local 4730 union is sponsoring a Day of Black and asking all IU employees who are unhappy with the salary freeze to show their support.
“We want to show IU administration that we are not necessarily happy with some of the decisions in the fiscal budgets,” said Kimberly Goy, a staff representative for the CWA.
The union assists members of the IU-Bloomington support staff and IU Northwest clerical and technical staff and, according to their website, has concerns for “increases in campus parking fees, increases in health care associated costs and job losses and hiring freezes.”
June Wickboldt, board member at large for the CWA, said prices are going up for general living expenses. She said she has calculated the increase in fixed expenses and these additional fees are not being matched with salary increases.
While Wickboldt said she has received a thank-you for her work on a number of occasions, the issue being protested is about a current pay rate that does not allow employees to afford living costs.
“This is to show people that we feel we have not been respected as employees,” Wickboldt said.
Ball State University has given staff members a 2 percent salary raise despite information from the governor about financial cuts, Wickboldt said. Unlike Ball State, Wickboldt said she does not feel that the IU administration has made a fiscal decision with the financial needs of staff members in mind.
IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre said while some people are saying the University has already decided there will be no salary increase this year, that statement is untrue.
“President McRobbie said he needs a little more time to monitor the situation and hopes to have a decision in the next month or two,” he said. “The state provides about 20 percent of the operating budget. And he needs to see where enrollments are going to be in the fall, because tuition makes up a big part of the budget. I know some people are wearing black, but the matter is still under consideration.”
Bryce Smedley, president of the CWA, said there are a number of reasons why people might decide to participate in the protest. Many staff members are forced to work additional jobs in an effort to pay the bills, and an increase in pay could strengthen their financial situations. Staff members might also wear black to honor colleagues that were laid off earlier in the year.
“There are many reasons why people may choose to wear black ribbons or clothes,” Smedley said. “For a lot of workers at IU, we are suffering.”