Ellen Kaye (Barre) and Rachel Wallace-Brodeur (Grand Isle) are the co-presidents of UVM Staff United, a new union that represents 1,350 clerical, technical, specialized and professional staff at the University of Vermont.
In bargaining for our first contract for University of Vermont’s clerical, technical, specialized and professional staff, UVM Staff United prioritized bringing everyone in our unit up to a livable wage. With staggering inflation and cost of living, we fought for — and won — a new minimum salary of $20 an hour, retroactive to July 1, 2021.
This was a long overdue step toward fair wages and better working conditions. This was not an altruistic move. UVM understood that announcing a $20/hr minimum wage would burnish its reputation as an attractive employer — a reputation that has taken hit after hit in recent years as staff were disrespected, benefits were cut, and wages stagnated.
Upon ratification of our contract in May 2022, UVM’s Class and Compensation department calculated retroactive pay for all employees, pro-rated for term, full-time equivalent and hire date. UVM made additional adjustments for employees who were making $15-21/hr prior to the contract to avoid wage compression. Staff received their back pay and compression adjustments as a lump sum on June 15. Many used this lump sum payment to catch up on bills, pay loans or take a long-delayed vacation.
On July 22, five weeks after that payment, UVM announced that they miscalculated retroactive pay for some employees, resulting in overpayments. Administration told staff, who had received their pay in good faith, that they needed to pay back the money they were overpaid. Overpayments ranged from several dollars to almost $5,000 dollars and impacted 126 employees. As employees tried to seek clarity on what they owed, it became clear that the administration had miscalculated the repayment amounts. Errors identified so far include not paying staff for the full year and not accounting for changes in term or FTE. In many cases, UVM is demanding employees pay back money they rightfully earned. This is wage theft! Twelve weeks after paying staff retroactive pay, UVM still has not been able to explain how employee back pay was calculated.
UVM Staff United has fought for transparency in how staff were paid and to mitigate the harm to staff who were overpaid. Because of interventions by affected staff and pressure from UVM Staff United, the UVM administration has proposed extending the repayment period into 2023 and has temporarily halted requests for collection pending resolution of outstanding grievances on several misapplications of the wages article of our contract, as well as updated calculations as to what people actually owe. Nearly two months later, those calculations remain unclear and unshared, and employees have lost faith and trust in the administration to make their math clear, consistent and transparent. Our union continues to press UVM administration for a resolution, while employees wait in uncertainty, unsure of what they actually owe, nearly two months after they were told they would have to make these life-altering repayments.
Even with the extended repayment period, the administration is still insisting that the lowest paid staff in our bargaining unit repay thousands of dollars that they thought was theirs, resulting in the deduction of hundreds of dollars from their paychecks every single month. For some affected staff, a few hundred dollars each month may mean the difference between a paid or an unpaid bill. The total overpayment amount comes to about $130,000 — chump change for a university boasting the third year of record enrollment, a 30% increase in its endowment and a $10 million increase in state funding. $130,000 represents about 20% of UVM President Suresh Garimella’s yearly compensation.
In continuing to demand these burdensome repayments, the generously compensated senior leadership of UVM are once again doing harm to our lowest paid staff — the very same people who had finally won the guarantee of a livable wage. To date, UVM has not taken steps to mitigate the harm it caused by its malfeasance and incompetence and expects staff to shoulder the burden.
UVM needs to step up and take responsibility for the impact of its gross errors and lack of communication and transparency. We demand that the UVM administration alleviate this burden and pay for their own mistakes and the harm they have caused — instead of refilling their coffers off the backs of those who can least afford it.
