Bargaining Blog 10-17-22

Happy anniversary NULWU! October 12 was the one-year anniversary of our march on the provost’s office to deliver our union petition. We have come so far since then: announcing our intent to unionize, our election win, and now we’re a union bargaining at the table with the University! What is the best way to celebrate our anniversary? Negotiating a contract!

 

This session we negotiated over three proposals: Union Membership & Dues, Subcontracting, and Layoffs. We were able to come to a Tentative Agreement (TA) on Subcontracting. We appreciate that the university agreed to not displace any bargaining unit staff members with contract workers. We also TA’d on Management Rights, a mandatory subject of bargaining that affirms the university has the right to operate and manage the university as long as that does not conflict with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

 

We made a lot of progress on Union Membership & Dues. One point we’re still negotiating on is how the COPE funds will be deducted. COPE is a Political Action Committee (PAC) that advocates for unions and workers. Earlier this year, a coalition including COPE advocated for the return of sick leave to teachers and educational employees who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Since this money is considered political, it is an opt-in fund totally separated from dues. In all other SEIU73 bargaining units, these optional donations are deducted along with union dues. Right now, Northwestern does not want to process these payroll deductions. We feel the university can administer these deductions easily, like they do parking, insurance, FSA, and transportation fees.

 

We continue to go back-and-forth on the issues of lay-offs and furloughs. We are advocating for seniority to be the determining factor in who is laid off because other considerations lack transparency and fairness. Seniority means the university cannot use layoffs to target long-serving (higher paid) employees.

 

As always, we ask that you continue to show your support for our union by wearing buttons and changing Zoom backgrounds to our union logo. The stronger the union, the better the contract! Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up with the latest updates.

 

 

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