02 Nov Negotiations Enter New Phase
- You can read management’s proposals on raises and reappointment here. Union proposals are in red and crossed out. Management proposals are in blue. Agreed-upon language is green.
- Our next scheduled session is Monday, November 7 from 10am-1pm in Student Center East White Oak room and via zoom.
- We need members to commit now to voting for strike authorization to give the bargaining committee the leverage we need to make movement at the table. Tell us when and where you plan to vote.
Mediation
On Monday, contract bargaining entered the new stage of third party mediation prompted by recognition on both sides that conversations have reached a point needing facilitation. Mediation represents a necessary legal step as our union moves towards a strike authorization vote and potential strike. While we are hopeful that mediation will help us reach more agreements, we also need our colleagues’ support for strike authorization so we will be ready to take action–if that proves necessary.
The mediator stressed the need for respect in the mediation process and asked both sides to show restraint by not broadcasting any discussions observed at the table on social media in order to promote an honest and transparent exchange during negotiations.
Updates on proposals
During the session, the UICUF bargaining team and the management team reached tentative agreements on Article X. Academic Freedom and Article XVII. Access to Personnel File.
The UICUF team also passed new counters on five non-economic articles now in management’s court. In these articles, we reasserted some previous positions, and conceded others to management. While some of the issues we conceded remain very important to us, we understand that bargaining requires concessions on both sides. We chose to let some things in these articles go to be able to fight harder for the remaining issues, including: protections against bullying, greater access to and transparency in shared governance processes, a clear progressive discipline process for all faculty, greater transparency around the Office for Access and Equity, paid release time for key union officers, and a grievance process that provides real protections to our members.
We also responded to management’s side letter asking for our agreement to suspend the raises given to Bridge to Faculty members by countering with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) asserting our belief that the raises should not only be continued for B2F faculty, but that all bargaining members be granted access to the 3.5% campus wage raise pool.
Attend the next session
Our next scheduled session is Monday, November 7 from 10am-1pm in Student Center East White Oak room and via zoom. The UICUF team will bring our responses to management’s counter proposals on compensation and reappointment. We ask that everyone who is able to please join and observe the session to stay informed as we move towards a strike authorization vote. Per the mediator’s request, we ask that members not record or post on social media about the negotiating sessions; it is important during this stage that we focus on the positions and issues at stake in this contract.
| In Solidarity, The UIC UF Bargaining team Xochitl Bada (Associate Professor, Latin American and Latino Studies) | Aaron Krall (Senior Lecturer, English) | Andy Baker (Clinical Assistant Professor, Music) | Anna Kornbluh (Professor, English) | Becky Bonarek (Lecturer, Tutorium in Intensive English) | Charitianne Williams (Senior Lecturer, English) | Gosia Fidelis (Associate Professor, History) | Ian Collins (Clinical Assistant Professor, Daley Library) | Jim Drown (Senior Lecturer, English) | Jeff Gore (Senior Lecturer, English) | Jennifer Rupert (Senior Lecturer, English, Gender and Women’s Studies) | Kate Floros (Clinical Associate Professor, Political Science) | Kate Lowe (Associate Professor, Urban Planning and Policy) | Kevin O’Brien (Clinical Associate Professor, Library of the Health Sciences) | Kevin Whyte (Professor, Math, Statistics, and Computer Science) | Laurie Quinn (Clinical Professor, Biobehavioral Nursing Science) | Nicole Nguyen (Associate Professor, Educational Policy Studies) | Paul Preissner (Professor, Architecture) |