Laid-off Oberlin College workers may be hired back

OBERLIN — Fifty-seven jobs are being eliminated at Oberlin College as of July 15, according to a formal notice filed Tuesday with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The cuts are not unexpected. Food service employees represented by United Auto Workers Local 2912 learned of the layoffs in February. What's new is a not-quite-concrete plan to hire back everyone and honor their existing pay rates. "That is the expectation," said Caleb Crandall, resident director for AVI Fresh at Oberlin College. The third-party dining services provider was hired as one part of a plan to cut $2 million and as many as 108 jobs at the college. Crandall stopped short of promising all 57 workers would be hired back for sure. He said he wants to meet next week with those affected. "This is the culture of the campus. We want to be part of the Oberlin family and these workers are kind of the lifeblood. We know they have been here a long time," he said. The goal isn't to hurt anyone's livelihood, he said. He feels AVI Fresh has a chance to keep well-paying jobs while delivering on savings. "We want this to be as smooth and seamless as possible" and show the college it made the right decision by bringing AVI Fresh on board, Crandall said. The state layoff notice also went to Oberlin City Council President Linda Slocum, who called it "a concern." However, she was relieved there is the possibility that workers will be hired back by AVI Fresh, and said it's her understanding the company has organized union employees in other locations. That relationship was noted by Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar in a previous message to the school community. She wrote that "AVI's history of working well with unions, as well as its values around the well-being of its employees, make the company a good partner for Oberlin." AVI Fresh has contracts with organizations such as Bowling Green State University, Youngstown State, Ohio State, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Ohio Turnpike, among others. Slocum said the layoffs are a "significant action" for Oberlin College to take, but are in line with what other financially troubled higher-education institutions are doing to control costs. The situation isn't sitting well with everyone, however. Mira Newman, a third-year student and a member of a group called Oberlin Beyond Austerity, provided a fact sheet published by her group that paints the college's negotiations with the UAW in a negative light. It said the UAW's most recent proposal would have saved $1.3 million with substantial concessions in pay and benefits. Instead of taking it, the college "set moving targets and never committed to retaining unionized employees," the fact sheet said. It also accuses Oberlin College of notifying the UAW of a final offer on outsource plans on June 22, giving one week or organize a membership vote and respond. The fact sheet calls the move "tantamount to union-busting." The fact sheet also points out that AVI Fresh's current wage of $12 to $13 per hour would represent a pay cut on the order of 45 percent, taking unionized employees below the regional average. AVI positions would be part-time and ineligible for health benefits, it said, putting workers "into poverty during a pandemic and the worst job market since the 1930s." Newman said in an email that AVI Fresh "cannot be trusted as an employer. They have a history of union busting and going back on their word. I know that AVI has made a statement to Oberlin Student Senate that guarantees jobs and pay, but this statement has not been verified to be true and has not been brought to the union or has been made clear in writing. If this statement were true that would be amazing, but until it is, we have to continue to fight for workers' rights." Students have been involved in the employment dispute since February, when they protested against layoffs to both food service and custodial staff. They made their stance known with signs that said "Workers are our family" and "It's not One Oberlin minus 108." Erik Villar, spokesman for the UAW, did not respond to calls for comment. The union's contract with Oberlin College was set to expire Sept. 30 and has been in place since 1993. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.