Blog 7.20.23

Thursday’s bargaining session was eight hours long! Thankfully, our time was well-spent, and we are extremely close to finalizing our first contract. We are in agreement on Professional Development, Emergency Closings, Flexible Work, and Vacation. We are going back and forth on the remaining proposals: Librarian Promotion and Compensation. We didn’t come to any tentative agreements this session since all of these proposals are part of a package; we need to come to an agreement on all of them before we can TA.


For Professional Development, we agreed that:

  • Professional development funds for non-exempt staff will increase by 50%

  • The University will pre-pay conference registration

  • The University will pay for up to $250 of membership in professional organizations

  • We will reinstate the portable tuition benefit for staff pursuing an MLS


For Emergency Closings, we agreed that:

  • If there is an emergency closing, only essential staff need to report to work in person

  • If the University cancels classes, we don’t need to report to work


For Flexible Work, we agreed that:

  • We are eligible for up to two days of remote work per week, with more than two days by special approval from the Dean

  • We can switch our on-campus days if our job duties or personal lives require a change


For Vacation, we agreed that:

  • We will accrue vacation at the same rates we currently do

  • We will be able to carry over 1.5 times the annual accrual at the end of the fiscal year


For Librarian Progression, the University wants to place more weight on peer-reviewed publications than we do; librarians at Northwestern are not tenure-track faculty, and publishing in peer-reviewed journals has never been part of our jobs. We are in agreement that librarians should be recognized for the work they do, but remain divided on what constitutes that work.


On Compensation, we are very close to agreement. The university has tied acceptance of the wages proposal to acceptance of their counter on librarian progression. As the proposal currently stands, we have raised salary floors by at least 5% for every title, with some above 20%! Everyone would receive a 3.75% yearly increase or the new salary floor if it is greater for the first year of the contract, and 3% in the second and third year. On Longevity pay for non-librarian staff, the university has offered salary increases rather than bonus pay, contingent on our acceptance of their offer on progression for librarians. This is great news, but we need to discuss the terms before we can agree to both proposals.


Huge thanks to the 36 union members who showed up to our bargaining session (as well as anyone who was stuck in the waiting room). This helped demonstrate to the University that library workers care about these issues and are willing to show up on their own time to advocate for a better workplace.


In anticipation of ending this chapter of collective bargaining, we will be holding an all-union meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the terms of the contract and the ratification process. Be on the lookout for the meeting invitation!


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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