The LEO News

For immediate release:

Last night, the Lecturers at the University of Michigan ratified their second Collective Bargaining Agreement with University. The members voted 318 to 10, a 97% majority, in support of the contract. The mail-in vote took 4 weeks to complete, and marked the conclusion of 6 months of negotiations.

Major financial gains for the lecturers include a 3% raise On the Flint and Dearborn campus, and a $1200 raise in Ann Arbor, as well as an increase in minimum starting salaries. Improvements in benefits are also part of the new contract, including expansion of long-term sick pay, extended disability, and expanded health care coverage through the summer.

According to Bonnie Halloran, LEO president, “We also strengthened our grievance procedure, improved language on layoff and recall, as well as created a new professional development fund for lecturers who had not previously had access to these types of funds. We consider these significant long term wins for the lecturers at the University.”

LEO, which represents over 1300 lecturers at all three campuses of the University of Michigan, is a local affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO.

By an overwhelming majority of the votes cast on all campuses, LEO members have ratified a new, three-year collective bargaining agreement with The University of Michigan.

The deadline for members to cast a vote was today at 5:00 pm. The vote count was conducted in LEO’s Ann Arbor office by a four member elections committee: Karen Rapp Schultes (Dearborn); Jim Packer (Flint); Netta Berlin (Ann Arbor); and Catherine Daligga (Ann Arbor).

The final vote totals were 318 “yes” to 10 “no.”  One ballot was declared spoiled.

LEO members wishing to vote on the ratification of our new contract need to do so by 5:00 pm, Monday September 10, when ballots must be received at the LEO Office, 527 E. Liberty, Suite 211, Ann Arbor 48104.

The result of the balloting will be announced via email and on this web site as soon as possible on Monday evening.

Here are the dates, times and places for membership meetings and drop-in Q & A sessions regarding the tentative collective bargaining agreement:

Ann Arbor–Wed, Sept 5, 2007, 5:00 pm; Angell Hall, Auditorium C

Dearborn–Wed, Sept 5, 2007, 4:00 pm; University Center, Kochoff Hall A (meeting)
Thur, Sept 6, 2007, 11:30am-1pm; 4028 CB (drop-in Q&A)

Flint–Thur, Aug 30, 2007; 12-2:00 pm, 357 French Hall (drop-in Q&A)
Wed, Sept 5, 2007, 11:00 am; Alumni Rm, 3rd floor UCEN (meeting)
Thur, Sept 6, 2007, 12 noon; Alumni Room, 3rd floor UCEN (meeting)

All LEO members are urged to attend a meeting to learn more about the TA and share their views! Members who have not yet voted may do so at the meetings.

Ballots are being mailed today to the LEO membership on the issue of the ratification of the tentative contract agreement reached with the UM administration on June 27.

The mailing includes a summary of the tentative agreement, notes from the bargaining team and the Union Council, ballot, ballot envelope, and return envelope.

LEO members will have until 5:00 pm on September 10, 2007, to return their completed ballot to the LEO office. Members may vote at any time up to the deadline. However, membership meetings will be held on all campuses in the first week in September; at these meetings, members will be able to ask questions, discuss the TA, and (if they wish) cast their vote. Watch the LEO News for more details on these important meetings.

The LEO leadership is urging a yes vote on the agreement.

Additional information about the tentative agreement is available at http://www.leounion.org/ta/.

The LEO bargaining team has prepared two documents to give members insight into the tentative contract agreement reached with the UM administration on June 27.

Summary of agreement (gains/ highlights). This link is to a rich text file containing the summary already emailed to LEO members.

Analysis of TA. This web page compares the gains, concessions, and unachieved goals for the 2007 bargaining.