Bargaining Blog 5.5.26

On Tuesday, May 5, we had our second bargaining session which resulted in our first Tentative Agreements (TAs)! As a reminder, a TA means that we have reached a consensus on proposals between the NULWU bargaining committee and the NU Administration; but these are not officially approved until after our union members vote on and ratify our contract.

Our TAs for this session covered:

  • Union Rights - we ensured that the Union can utilize the Forum Room for meetings 
  • Grievance and Arbitration - if more than one Represented Worker files on the same issue simultaneously, we can now expedite the grievance process 

Our bargaining session began with NU Administration responding to the 12 proposals we introduced at our first session on April 14. They provided five counter-proposals to our original twelve, two of which resulted in our TAs listed above. Although they rejected the other seven of our original proposals, they did seem willing to engage in further conversation around these issues, so we will introduce modified proposals that help our bargaining unit. 

We introduced three additional proposals at this session. Continuing with non-economic topics, some examples include flexible work strategies and layoff/furlough procedures. 

We’re proud that our TAs reflect our goals of improving union representation for our bargaining unit. Although there were some disagreements on our initial proposals, we are encouraged by the University’s willingness to continue discussion on these topics. 

Please continue to show support for our union by wearing buttons and changing Zoom backgrounds to our logo! Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to keep up with the latest updates. Reach out to us with questions or ideas through social media, email, or by contacting a bargaining committee member.



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