LEO-GLAM Bargaining Recap for 3/12/2025
Welcome back from Spring Break, when we took a quick breather from the bargaining table. At our March 12 bargaining session, we presented our very first “package” which bundles multiple articles in a “take it or leave it” approach that gives us some leverage to make deals. This package included a counter on Article XI: Appointments and Annual Reviews, together with MOU 5 and Article I: Recognition, which both seek to add Research Museum Collection Managers to our bargaining unit as reclassified LACs.
We also received counters from management on Article XII: Promotion of LACs and Article B: Artificial Intelligence; our MOU 6 about Appropriate LAC Staffing in Flint was returned entirely struck out. We were pleased to receive the counter on Promotion, as it was the first economic one so far. We are encouraged that we have a fair amount of mutual understanding in terms of better describing the promotion process and how to calculate the dates involved, but we still have a number of points to continue conversations about, including the long periods of time between promotions. Finally, in their counter to our detailed and carefully thought-out proposal on artificial intelligence, the employer offered an annual one-hour special conference with a limited scope.
Highlights of the bargaining session included:
Reached a Tentative Agreement on Article XXIX: Layoff and Recall. This brings our TA count to 14.
Acknowledged that no additional articles will be re-opened by either party. You can keep track of article status using our handy tracker.
We have entered the next phase of our contract campaign when proposals will be exchanged at a quicker pace as there are fewer total articles left on the table. In the coming weeks we expect to receive counters from the employer on economic subjects. Our bargaining team will need your support!
Next week, on Wednesday, March 19th, we’ll have our first IN-PERSON bargaining session on the Flint campus, which includes an open community bargaining session that other members of the UM community (including students, faculty and staff) can attend. We look forward to seeing you there in your GLAM gear to see us sitting at a physical bargaining table, and to partake in some great programming—including a teach-in and tour of the UM-Flint archives—and to express our solidarity with our UM-Flint AFT-AAUP colleagues. Please register so that we know to expect you and can send you all the logistical details about joining us.
The following day, we hope that you can join us in person on the Ann Arbor campus to attend the Regents’ Meeting, where co-lead negotiator Kathleen Folger will give a statement on behalf of LEO-GLAM. Wear red for labor and come show your support! If you’re available to come to the Ruthven building on the afternoon of March 20th, please let us know by filling out the form so that we can communicate the details.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for in-person open bargaining in Dearborn on April 2nd! We’ll share more information about that soon.