Contract Bargaining Session 7/27/2022

The NULWU Bargaining Team, along with representatives from SEIU 73, held the fifth bargaining meeting yesterday with the University over non-economic proposals. We are happy to announce that we made considerable progress including reaching tentative agreements on the following articles: 

 

  • Discipline - we ensured that the University will follow progressive discipline, which means that in nearly all cases, discipline will start at a verbal warning. The University also must follow the principles of just cause, which requires adequate notice for new rules and a thorough investigation, amongst other things. 

  • Health and Safety - we negotiated language that ensures the University will promptly notify union members of any changes to safety rules and also a guarantee that they will provide personal protective equipment (PPE). 

  • Grievance Procedure - we now have a process to address any violations of our future union contract and also any violations of University policies! 

  • Performance Reviews - the most important benefit achieved in this article was ensuring the right for a union member to have a union steward or representative present if they are issued a Performance Improvement Plan. 

At the beginning of the meeting, the Union made several counter proposals including Union Rights, Stewards, and No Strike No Lockout. We continue to negotiate over language about Overtime, Open Positions, and Labor Management. The University went into caucus to discuss the Union counter proposals. The two teams met again after caucus. The University responded to all counters we proposed, agreed on several issues, and made minor changes, such as changing “overtime” to “time-and-a-half” for consistency. The Bargaining Team will discuss the University counter proposals in the next meeting. We are hopeful that we will soon be able to come to an agreement on many of these proposals.

 

While we are close on many important issues, we remain far apart on a couple of proposals. This includes access to space on campus to host union membership meetings and protecting the right of our union to support other unions on campus if they engage in a strike or other concerted, protected action. 

 

The next all union member meeting will be held on August 23 at 7 PM. Our Bargaining Team will update you on our bargaining progress and answer any questions you may have. For those without a computer at home, it is possible to call in or use a smartphone to join us on Zoom. 

 

Please continue to show your support for the Union by wearing buttons and changing Zoom backgrounds to our union logo! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up with the latest updates. Reach out to us with questions, ideas or if you are experiencing specific issues at work that you want to talk about. You can contact us through social media, weekly lunch break office hours, or by asking a bargaining team member.


NULWU Bargaining Team

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