Blog 6.22.23

The end is in sight! Maybe? This session we finally reached tentative agreements on two outstanding non-economic proposals:

  • Union Membership: after a long battle over whether the university would process deductions for COPE (SEIU’s political action committee), we have reached a tentative agreement. The university will process union dues and security fees but not COPE deductions.

  • Layoffs and Furlough: we finally stepped off the merry-go-round on this proposal, as our negotiations had become a nightmarish back and forth over whether to “discuss” or “negotiate” the effects of furlough or layoff. The language doesn’t matter: the university is required under law to bargain with the union over the effects of a decision to furlough or layoff employees.


We presented a counterproposal on Progression for librarians. Even though we have been pleased with the progress we have made together on this proposal, we were not enthusiastic about some of their conditions for progression, including requirements that seem more in line with those for tenured faculty (librarians at Northwestern are non-tenure). We continue to negotiate the terms of this proposal, and are optimistic about its future.


On our remaining economic proposals, the university countered with a package that consists of Wages, Vacation, Flexible Work Arrangements, Professional Development, and Emergency Closings. While the university has made a lot of progress on wages, we are unhappy with their counters on longevity pay for non-librarian staff. Longevity pay will address wage compression for long time staff, many of whom will not be making much more than staff hired within the last few years should we come to an agreement on wages. The university seems to have forgotten that years of austerity and bottom of the barrel raises (and no raise in 2020, even as they finished the year with an $80 million surplus) are the reason for that compression. Many long-time staff make less now than they did five years ago due to inflation. Longevity pay will go a long way toward repairing the relationship between the university and staff who have dedicated their careers to its community. We are hopeful that we can make progress on this and other proposals in their package when we return to the bargaining table on July 20, 2023.


Now more than ever, it is important to support your bargaining team! 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. Please feel free to reach out to a bargaining committee member with any questions.

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