Lecturer Bargaining Update: Flint Open Bargaining Recap With Testimonies Featuring Allies for 3/15/2024
Last Friday, March 15th, we met on the Flint campus for Open Bargaining with allies. We heard testimony from current student Alimatou Sarr, TT Professor & AAUP-AFT member and former LEO member Kimberly Saks, and Flint Biology Lecturer Danielle Konieczny. We will meet at the table again this Friday in Ann Arbor at Palmer Commons Great Lakes South/Central Room (4th floor) and on Zoom, with caucus starting at 9am. Members can register to support your bargaining team’s efforts!
We reached 3 more tentative agreements (TA’s) on Article XXII: Health & Safety, Article XXVI: Faculty Support, and rolling the contents of MoU 15 Computers into Faculty Support. We also had a productive conversation in terms of process with the international assistance fund and should expect a counter offer from Admin soon.
At 2pm we received a salary counter proposal from Admin increasing last week's offer of annual raises for Dearborn and Flint by 0.25% from 1.75% to 2%. This is the second time that we have seen such minimal increases from Admin at the 3rd wealthiest public university in the country.
This is a critical time in our bargaining campaign – with so many TA’s behind us the biggest hurdles that remain are economic. The university needs to bring more money to the table, especially for Dearborn & Flint, if we are to get to an agreement before our contract expires April 20th.
Read the testimonies given in Flint below:
“We support you LEO, like you supported us.”
Kim Saks, Assistant Professor of Political Science, UM-Flint
“I come here today to speak in a unique role in support of LEO. For eight years, I was a lecturer at UM-Flint: first as a Lec III and then as a Lec IV. For the lecturers in the room, this comes as no surprise, nor should it to anyone else: the lecturers at the University of Michigan, especially UM-Flint, are workhorses. They sustain programs. They build support for our students. And they are important members of our campuses and our academic and intellectual life.
“But far too often, lecturers are forgotten in various ways. Certain opportunities are not open to them on campus because of their status, whether that’s in elements of governance, of program decision-making, or in funding and recognition. I know I felt all of that as a lecturer. Moreover, I know the university makes money off of the backs of the lecturers by keeping pay lower, work precarious, and visibility low.
“None of it has to be this way. And LEO stands ready to better the position of lecturers each time contract negotiations come up. The gains lecturers have received in the past 10 years are a testament to the power of collective action: the teaching professor role, increased pay across all three campuses, recognition in faculty governance. And there is still important work to be done - work that is being done here today.
“I come to you now in a new role. For the last 18+ months, I have been a member of the organizing committee of UMF AFT-AAUP Local 5671 - the UM-Flint tenure track faculty union. The minute I stepped onto the tenure track, I knew that organizing the tenure stream faculty was important. The work that we’ve done in the last year and a half to build community and a movement is nothing short of spectacular. And we owe a great deal to our LEO siblings who have supported us at each step of the way.
“I am happy to say that as of this week, the University has agreed to recognize our bargaining unit and we begin the card counting process in short order. The power of labor is strong here at UM-Flint. And our voices together - lecturer and tenure track - can and will bring positive change.
We support you LEO, like you supported us.”
“The University of Michigan claims to be the “Leaders & Best”… why not stay true and honor this title by stepping up and investing in childcare of your employees? Show the country how it is done.”
Danielle Konieczny, Lecturer III Biology, UM-Flint
“My name is Danielle Konieczny. I am a Biology Lecturer here in Flint and have been for 10 years. I am also a mother of 2 daughters, Lillian who is 7 years old and Clara who is 17 months old. And I am here today to talk to you about Childcare!
“No matter where you are, if you are talking to someone and tell them you have 1 or more children in daycare, you will get the same reaction …. “eeeee, that must be expensive! What does that run you?”. The answer for me is 33%! One child in childcare is 33% of my pay after taxes. 33%! The cost of Clara’s care is more than my monthly mortgage. How is that even possible?
“My husband and I have been talking about whether or not to add to our family. Do you know what one of the top “issues” that comes up every time? The cost of having 2 in daycare! That would be 66% of my income! So we are deciding what our family should look like… in part… by what child care would cost. It is even possible that at that point, I would have to quit my job, a job that I absolutely love!
“When my now 7-year-old Lillian was in daycare, I received a stipend to cover part of her care from the Flint Water Crisis fund. That stipend helped in more ways than one. It lowered my stress/worry, allowing me to focus more on my daughter and my job. It also “freed” up a little money to enroll Lillian in dance classes. And if any of you have or had children in extra curriculars, you know the benefits they provide to a young child and a family.
“LEO has proposed a partial stipend to aid in the cost of childcare. Imagine what a stipend could do for LEO faculty members’ families! But instead of countering our proposal, you just struck out the entire proposal, saying that the University is working to address this with no reasonable timeline. This shows to me that the administration is not willing to listen to what is important to your employees.
“With inflation, the cost of gas, food, insurance, loans, etc. have all gone up exponentially. This has led to the cost of childcare increasing as well. Add those to the fact that you have only offered a 7% salary increase over 4 years, while at the same time completely denying our request for a child care stipend…. What are you willing to offer us? By denying us any financial gains, you are essentially asking us to work for less now than we did 3 years ago.
“The University invests in all forms of infrastructure to keep campus running. You take care of our roads, sidewalks, and parking structures so students and faculty can get to campus safely. You maintain our buildings to help with student experiences. You invest in Advisors and Experts to help our students learn and grow as young adults. We are asking you to invest in the infrastructure of childcare. An investment that would help your faculty and staff better serve the students.
“President Biden has spoken many times of the need for investment in childcare infrastructure across the country. The University of Michigan claims to be the “Leaders & Best”… why not stay true and honor this title by stepping up and investing in childcare of your employees? Show the country how it is done.
“A request to you from my heart and from all of your doctors, nurses, plumbers, builders, electricians, and my fellow lecturers “Will you please help me with the cost of my child’s care?” A step in the right direction would be to listen to the next childcare proposal we pass to you, and instead of completely striking it out, pass back a true counter proposal. So, I am here today and asking you again today how does the University plan to address this deeply felt need of its employees?”
“I hope that lecturers will receive the material and immaterial support they need to continue to have a positive impact on students like myself. ”
“Lecturers at UM-Flint teach important classes across disciplines that introduce students to new ideas, and help students develop interests in areas that are new to them. These individuals are critical to the vitality of numerous programs throughout the university system from anthropology and statistics to foreign languages and international affairs. I appreciate lecturers' value because they have been instrumental to my success on and off campus.
“Through courses led by lecturers, I have built a greater understanding and interest in a variety of fields and found opportunities to supplement my learning through different experiences. These lecturers have also supported student ambitions, such as my own, and are always ready to provide insight into careers and academics after graduation. I have lecturers to thank for the support that has helped me achieve various recognitions from my Public Policy and International Affairs fellowship to academic merits and other opportunities I will pursue after I graduate. This dedication to students and positive learning outcomes should be met with equal appreciation throughout the university.
“I hope that lecturers will receive the material and immaterial support they need to continue to have a positive impact on students like myself. This is why I am here today in support of LEOs bargaining proposals that remain on the table including salary increases that keep up with inflation and cost of living increases and reflect what these lecturers deserve. Thank you.”
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