Lecturer Bargaining Update: Critical Information on Salary
As our contract campaign heats up, and we continue to TA non-economic proposals, we need to now focus on economic issues like salary. We have indicated many times that we want to be finished bargaining by our contract expiration date, April 20, 2024. So how do we go from where we are now, having passed only a few salary counters, to the finish line?
Let’s first consider where we were not all that long ago and how we got to our current contract.
The 2018 and 2021 LEO contract campaigns were historic economic achievements for UM lecturers.
From 2015-2017, minimum salaries were $34,500 (Lec I) and $36,500 (Lec III) on the Ann Arbor (AA) Campus. In Dearborn (DB), the LI min was $28,300 and the LIII min was $32,300. In Flint (FL), the LI min was $27,300 and the LIII min was $31,300. Fighting chronically low minimum salaries was a cornerstone of the 2018 contract campaign, and we were able to achieve both increases to minimums AND equity increases for longer serving lecturers.
In our 2021 contract campaign, we kept minimum salaries the same in Ann Arbor, and by 2023, minimums in Flint and Dearborn were brought into line with AA (Figure 1). We have much to be proud of from our previous contract campaigns.
Figure 1. Minimum salaries since 2018; mins in AA have been at $51,000 (LI) and $53,000 (LIII) since 2020.
To see how lecturers’ actual salaries have changed over time, we looked at the median full-time rate for Intermittents, LIs, LIIs, LIIIs, and LIVs on the 3 campuses starting in 2016 (Figure 2). Full time rate is the rate of pay for a lecturer who works a full time (100%) load.
Figure 2. Median full-time salary for lecturers on all 3 campuses since 2016.
Since 2018, median FTR has gone up $6,800 in AA (11% increase), $15,400 in DB (36% increase), and $14,700 in FL (33% increase). Increases to the minimums starting in 2018 and continuing through the 2021 contract were critical in allowing the median FTR to increase so much in Flint and Dearborn.
So, where are we now, given the effects of the COVID pandemic on the economy?
Recent inflation, tight real estate markets, lack of available housing, and the cost of major purchases like cars and childcare has put many lecturers into increasingly uncomfortable or precarious financial situations. Our last 3 years of annual raises add up to 8.25%, whereas inflation over that same time period was 17.2% (Figure 3). We need large annual increases to offset recent inflation.
Inflation vs. Annual Raises
We calculated lecturers’ median salary (based on FTR) by title on each campus, along with average % appointment to get a feel for what lecs are being paid and whether or not lecturers are getting full time work (Table 1). The current medians for Lec Is on all 3 campuses are awfully low compared to the cost of living in southeast Michigan. Also concerning is the very low average appointment % for Intermittents and Lec Is. The lowest paid lecs are also not getting full time work, which may make them ineligible for healthcare benefits (or the benefit premiums may be too high for them to afford). Even Lec IIs only have a 70% average appointment.
Table 1. 2023 Median salary (FTR) and average percentage appointment by title and campus.
We also looked at what percentage of lecturers on each campus are earning a FTR lower than $70,000, in increments of $5,000 (Figure 4). While a greater proportion of lecturers in Flint and Dearborn are earning less than $70,000, 47% of lecturers in AA also earn less than $70,000. Lecturers on all 3 campuses need a raise.
Figure 4. Full time rate categories of lecturers on all 3 campuses
Our current proposal: on March 8, we passed a salary counter-offer with 4 key parts:
Increased minimums for newly lecturers (see Table 2)
Major Review minimums for lecturers having passed 1 or more major reviews (see Table 2), which helps reduce leapfrogging
Annual increases of $8,000 in year 1, $7,000 in year 2, and $6,000 in year 3. Flat dollar amount raises the lowest paid lecturers.
Longevity increases for lecturers with over 10 years of service (see Table 3)
Table 2. Proposed new lecturer minimum salary and major review minimums
Table 3. Proposed longevity increases
How do we cross the finish line?
We know current lecturers at all ranks, on all campuses, and at all career stages need raises. Management has made their position clear at the table that if we insist on equal annual raises and equal minimum salaries, we will end up with less, because of budget issues and enrollment precarity at Flint and Dearborn. However, we think that Ann Arbor should be willing to fund raises for lecturers on all three campuses.
Management’s proposals thus far have maintained equal minimums on all 3 campuses, signaling that they would maintain parity in minimums going forward, if the minimums don’t go up. Current lecturers are not affected by minimum salaries, but will benefit from annual raises. Management has put all their money into annual raises, suggesting that they want to give raises to people who already work here, rather than increasing minimums for new lecturers. It’s going to take continued pressure on management to see fair raises in the next contract.
To help the Bargaining Team move forward in a way that aligns with member priorities, we need LEO members to respond to a survey (sent by email Wednesday, March 13, 2024). Your collective responses will allow us to figure out where the finish line is, and signal member priorities in our upcoming salary counters. If you have questions about the salary proposal or survey, please attend bargaining Friday (March 15, in Flint but also on Zoom), or email me (Cindee Giffen, LEO AA Campus Co-Chair and BTeam Salary Lead: cindee.giffen@gmail.com).
What can I do to help us get a great contract?
To TA a contract in the next six weeks that satisfies members' economic and non-economic needs will require a lot of lecturers to step up and act. You can: