Concerning Youssef Sawan's column, Sept. 16 \UW guilty of wage, labor exploitation,"" we would have gladly responded to a request for an interview or statistics regarding LTEs employed by the Wisconsin Union. However, no request was forthcoming. Therefore, we feel it's important to provide readers with these facts:
uUnion protection: In fact, LTEs are covered by the Memorial Union Labor Organization.
uNo positions were lost due to the conversion: We've converted five LTEs to permanent positions and are working on the sixth. No positions were eliminated. The Union lost one position when it ceased dining operations in Grainger Hall; the cook then retired. In addition, the two custodian positions are on hold due to the hiring freeze.
uPercentage of LTEs: The Union employs 141 LTEs, 384 students and 190 permanent staff. So the actual percentage of LTEs is 19.7 percent, not the 52 percent claimed in the article.
uDiversity: We recently hired two persons of color as management staff, one as human resources director and another as food service manager. In addition, women hold numerous management positions in the Union. The Wisconsin Union is a dedicated partner in Plan 2008 as our current report indicates.
uSegregated fees: The vast majority of seg fee funds support the program department and building operations.
uPay rate: The Union now pays $7.25 an hour, which became effective in August. Last year, our lowest rate was $7.15, not $7 as the editorial stated.
The Wisconsin Union considers converting LTEs to permanent positions a priority item. However, like other campus departments, we must accomplish this through state and university guidelines that dictate how we acquire permanent staff. We will continue to address these issues internally and to negotiate with LTEs in good faith.
Those concerned with LTEs on campus should have access to accurate information. We are providing such information today and are willing to so when asked in the future.
director, Wisconsin Union
