Ohio University President Roderick McDavis said at a press conference yesterday that the university will continue to engage in public/private partnerships
like the one it has with the Mill Street Apartments, one about which the university's labor union has filed suit.
There will be continuing changes at Ohio University and there will be continuing public/private partnerships McDavis said.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, which represents public service employees, filed the request for an injunction against OU, claiming the university would break its contract with the union if it allowed a developer to hire private-sector maintenance workers.
I plan to assure that the relationship between Ohio University and [AFSCME] Local 1699 will continue to be a successful relationship McDavis said. To be sure
the renovation of the Mill Street Apartments should not be delayed through litigation or court intervention.
Charlie Adkins, president of the AFSCME Local 1699, said that under the proposed lease OU has with Wesam Construction Inc., of Chester -the company awarded the contract to renovate the apartments -any maintenance workers would be hired by the construction company.
I understand the concern of the union leadership with job security
said McDavis, who makes $275,000 per year. However
in the period of very difficult budget times facing Ohio University this year and for future years
it is clear to me that all the employees of Ohio University will be asked to work with administrators much more economically and efficiently.
That takes good-paying jobs with benefits from the community
Adkins said. (The university) is privatizing our work.
McDavis said OU would face similar issues of labor with the closing of Baker Center and the opening of the new Baker University Center in the fall of 2006 Ohio University will have to be as flexible and responsive as possible to meet its future academic and other missions
he said, including entering into public/private partnerships such as the Mill Street Apartment renovation project.
In response to concern from union members, McDavis said OU ultimately did the right thing in leasing the property to a private developer.
What we hoped for is that there may be other jobs in the new Mill Street Apartments for members of our union
but at this point
that's not a certainty
