6/3/22 LEO-GLAM Bargaining Recap

Our June 3rd session covered the remaining issues on the table—salary, professional development, and recognition.

Recognition

Thanks to several lengthy discussions at the bargaining table, we continue to creep closer to agreement on this extremely important article that defines the bargaining unit. Administration has accepted most of our proposed definition which is a big win; however, we have some concerns that their counter has the potential to make addressing issues of misclassification challenging. 

Professional Development

Administration shared their latest counter on professional development, in which they pledged to provide $700 per employee. The team found this number disappointing, particularly after learning that in 2019 the university spent $367,805 (or approximately $2,000/person) on professional development activities for the bargaining unit. This amount is much closer to what we asked for in our last counter ($2,400/person) than the $700 administration has offered. Administration’s justification is that the 2019 figure includes both discretionary and programmatic expenses, and therefore is not comparable to what we have asked for regarding discretionary professional development. However, we do not feel this justifies the insufficient amount they are offering to support our colleagues in their professional growth. If we want to be “leaders and best,” the administration needs to invest!

Salary

We shared our latest counter on salary, in which we made substantial movement but retained the fundamental structure of our equity adjustments in the first year, as well as annual increases in subsequent years.

Special Tuesday Session

We will have an additional bargaining session on Tuesday, June 7 at 3PM. We anticipate receiving administration’s salary counter during this special session. We look forward to seeing you at Bargaining again on Tuesday and Friday!