OCOPE/OPEIU Local 502

The Oberlin College Office and Professional Employees Union (OCOPE) began behind a backdrop of immense social and political change. The liberalism of Oberlin College provided a receptive environment for workers to unionize for higher wages and benefits. The impetus for the administrative assistants to organize stemmed from several forces occurring on the campus in the late 1960s. Oberlin College felt the turbulence of the times in the growing discontent among the students and employees. The political divisiveness of the Vietnam War and the growing radicalism of the student right activists prompted numerous changes on the campus. Among these were a shift from single-sex housing to coeducational and the end of President Robert K. Carr’s conservative administration.

Labor was also affected by the activities of the 1960s, causing them to respond. The Oberlin College Employees Association (OCEA)—a group comprised of the service workers—held a successful organizing drive in 1968, increasing their numbers to better bargain with the College. The ability of labor and the student body to raise their concerns demonstrated to the clerical and technical employees that with solidarity they could attain an equitable return for their labor. Hence, the same forces that spurred OCEA and the students to action also influenced the administrative assistants to act.

The discontent of the administrative assistants became known in 1969 when the Personnel Office changed the nature of the work week and eliminated “free days” (days on which the office workers did not work in order to prepare for Christmas and Easter). This eventually caused eight library and technical employees—Jean Binford, Mary Wellington, Kathy Hale, Virginia Ives, Lucy Kapuscinsky, Faith Adams, Lois Gaines, and Adele Gittler—to form a steering committee to discuss these issues. The consciousness-raising activities of these women led to a general vote in early 1970. Out of the 179 administrative assistants employed by the College—both full- and part-time—who voted, 92 voted to establish an organization to deal with the College and 87 voted against it. In April, the employees held another election on whether or not to create a union. The 147 to 68 return led to the formation of OCOPE as an autonomous local union.

Since OCOPE’s inception, it has successfully negotiated contractual agreements with the College. The first contract, that of 1971, achieved unilateral gains for all of the administrative assistants. The employees used collective bargaining as their tool, forcing the administration to recognize the union as the sole bargaining agent for all of the administrative assistants. In 1976, Jean Binford commented on the importance of collective bargaining when she wrote, “The only way the union can become, mature, strong and healthy is through the firm commitment of every single administrative assistant to the concept of collective bargaining as the only effective means to fair wages and working conditions and to our dignity as working people” (OCOPE Newsletter, June 1976).

In the first contractual agreement, OCOPE established “sick leave, health insurance, and vacation benefits…formalized grievance procedures,” and outlined a provision for a salary schedule to insure that employees were paid justly for their work (Lisa Pruitt, Preliminary Guide to the Records of OCOPE/OPEIU Local 502, Oberlin College Archives, September 1988). The negotiations of this contract solidified a precedent by which both sides continued to reach a fair settlement each time a contract expired, however, not always without disagreements.

OCOPE members, as one of their first acts, urged the administration that their positions as administrative assistants be reviewed and reclassified on a common standard. In December of 1972, the Ad Hoc Committee on the Status of Women agreed that a standard had to be created and made that recommendation to the College. In this report the committee suggested to the College that “where instances of inequity and discrimination exist, funds be allocated to correct the injustices; further, that wages within job classifications be brought into conformity with established wage scales, with appropriate regard for seniority and equal pay for equal work” (Final Disposition on the Twenty-Two Recommendations Made by the Ad Hoc Committee on the Status of Women, September 1973). Responding to these recommendations, the College negotiated with OCOPE and established the guidelines for a general redistribution of resources based upon job description and years of service. The result was a review of all administrative assistant positions. The new system enabled all of the clerical and technical employees to receive wages and other monetary reimbursements based upon a common standard, rather than the standard of each office or department.

The union also had its setbacks. An article in the June 1975 newsletter harshly criticized the membership for their lack of interest in the union, stating, “The feeling persists…that an 80% unopposed election is not ideal. When asked to run for office, the most common reply from the OCOPE membership is ‘I don’t have enough time.’ This is universally true…. The time must be made.” The same article later stated, “If we will work together, support our union, make time to attend meetings, publicly voice our complaints, serve as building stewards and as officers on the Executive Board, we have the opportunity to achieve some good for ourselves as well as for Oberlin College.” Although OCOPE focused on external forces, they had to reconcile their internal differences to be the most effective bargaining agent for the administrative assistants.

Two members—Elizabeth Drummond and Constance Rider—in 1977 challenged OCOPE’s contractual agreement with the College when they decided to rescind their membership with the union. According to the agreement, members of OCOPE could not leave the organization without also losing their jobs. The OCOPE executive board demanded that the College adhere to the contract, but it refused. A labor arbitrator finally decided the issue in OCOPE’s favor, but the legal action had cost the union a substantial amount of money. Hence, the union concluded that it could no longer afford to be a local organization without an international affiliation. Thus, in 1978, a general election was held by all of the administrative assistants and the majority voted for an affiliation with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU). OCOPE became local 502 of the OPEIU. The international union allowed the local organization to “retain its autonomy, but through its affiliation with OPEIU, OCOPE has access to professional help with contract negotiations, grievances, and if necessary, advice on its normal day-to-day dealings with the College” (OCOPE Local 502, OPEIU information sheet).

Contractual disagreements occurred both in 1981 and 1984. In 1981, the union filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, charging the College with reneging on pertinent sections of the contract. The primary points of contention focused on leave for probationary employees and benefit programs. The 1984 contract also proved to be problematic because of a disagreement on who would be responsible for health insurance. Once the dispute was settled, the contract included provisions to increase paid maternity leave, vacation leave between Christmas Day and New Year’s, and an arrangement for reimbursing employees for sick days not used during the year.

The next contract, that of 1987, granted administrative assistants tuition remission for their children to attend college. An important gain because of the rising cost of education, it reinforced the link between academia and the workplace. The union attempted to strengthen these bonds further by criticizing Oberlin College in a formal proclamation for investing funds in South Africa and also by sponsoring a film series depicting the plight of the American worker and the role of women in the labor movement.

In the 1990s, the College and the union formed the Labor/Management Relations Board to “enhance communication, promote problem-solving through consensus building, and foster a greater trust between the parties” (Observer, 12 November 1992). The organization’s goal was to discuss problems before they became intense disputes. The board, nonetheless, declined to hear any formal grievances pending against the College. The main issues discussed at the meetings related to the area of employee wellness, orientation, education programs, and morale, cementing a positive relationship between labor and the administration.

Throughout the two and a half decades of OCOPE’s existence it has significantly improved the working conditions and benefits for all of the clerical and technical employees, including members and non-members of the organization. In this context, OCOPE has been successful. The union developed and changed as the needs of the administrative assistants changed. The emphasis of employee concerns shifted from primarily economic issues in the 1970s to benefit issues in the 1980s. Subsequently, OCOPE has changed with the times.