Bargaining Session #7 Recap: Their Chaos Won't Shake Us
Highlights from the table:
Bargaining started late again (by 14 minutes), and management sent counterproposals as they walked through the door.
The counters they sent (see our public bargaining tracker here):
Article XIV. Physical Conditions (TT only)
Article XVII. Access to Personnel Files (NTT only)
Article IV. Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment (NTT and TT)
We asked management our initial questions on the above (this is where the fireworks happened; see below).
We presented our response to their counterproposal on Article IX. Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion, Layoff and Recall (which we had sent 48 hours before the session, and which management hadn't read).
Both sides signed tentative agreements on articles unchanged from the current contract.
We met with management for our seventh bargaining session last Wednesday, July 1, and there were definitely some pre-holiday fireworks.
Yet again, management demanded an extra 14 minutes to meet as a team before beginning our bargaining session, and yet again they did not send materials in advance: they waited until literally walking through the door into the bargaining room before sending their counterproposals for the day: Article IV. Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment (NTT and TT), Article XIV. Physical Conditions (TT only), and Article XVII. Access to Personnel Files (NTT only). This is frustrating for several reasons.
First, they indiscriminately decided which contract version to prepare and send us. After their recent shenanigans, we will carefully check all counterproposals to ensure that nothing is hiding amongst their chaos. (Note: we did eventually receive all versions of the above articles.)
Second, by being late and evidently unprepared, management is purposely wasting our time, and we will not play along. Our time is valuable, too. We see their games, and we will not be thrown by their games: our gears will keep on turning. Their chaos won’t shake us.
In their three counters, management struck (pun intended) three themes: redundancy is unproductive, definitions of key terms are unnecessary, and subjects of “permissive” bargaining range wildly.
In the previous session’s email recap, we discussed why we believe redundancy is in fact productive and protective of faculty; this week demonstrated why we should hold firm. For example, management refused our assertion that the university should address all office, lab, studio, and classroom spaces that are non-compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Management’s argument? They already must comply with all state and federal laws. However, we believe that contract “redundancy” encourages productive proactivity, but management would rather be sued for non-compliance than address matters through the grievance process.
After last session’s ask from management that we provide more details, this week management rejected our contractual examples of harassment and definition of bullying, arguing that definitions change (even though our definition of bullying comes from the UIC Student Discipline Policy, p. 13). Not only is this rejection frustrating – we have been trying to include bullying, particularly, in our contract for several cycles – but it’s yet more evidence that management is not interested in protecting faculty and providing a safe workplace.
The most infuriating aspect of this session was the amount of article provisions that management deems “permissive.” Permissive subjects of bargaining are anything that doesn’t fall under mandatory subjects of bargaining, which are wages, hours, and working conditions, as defined by the National Labor Relations Board. Just this session, management described the following provisions as permissive: committing to maintaining an inclusive, respectful workplace; training on conflict management skills and implicit bias; funding for campus cultural centers; developing a mentorship program; regular classroom cleaning; and clean and stocked bathrooms.
Training to foster respectful office environments. Clean classrooms. Using restrooms when, where, and how we need them. If those aren’t part of our working conditions, what is?
Management is making it increasingly clear that their goals are avoiding accountability, expanding managerial power, allowing issues to become problems, and fostering chaos.
Our goal is clear: to champion what our faculty deserves, what our university requires, and what our community needs. And to have toilet paper in all campus bathrooms.
We urge you to come to the next bargaining session in person: hearing management’s arguments firsthand sheds a brighter light on their strategies and truly unmasks their chaos. Our eighth bargaining session will be on Tuesday, July 14 from 1-3 PM (location TBA). We hope to see you there.
Want to Support the Bargaining Team? Become a CAT
In preparation for the contract campaign, we're assembling a Contract Action Team (CAT) to mobilize participation in union actions. We'll be holding a series of CAT organizing trainings over the summer and into the fall. If you're interested in getting trained to talk to people in your department about the union and the ongoing contract fight, please send a message to UICUnitedFaculty@gmail.com.
Does Your Union Work = Professional Service?
Management is pushing back against recognizing union activities as a component of faculty service when calculating merit increases or Promotion and Tenure. To address this, we need to know whether, and how, you have included your union activism as professional service. More broadly, we’d appreciate your reflections on how your UICUF work has shaped you as a UIC faculty member. Responses are confidential to union leadership and staff unless you agree otherwise. Please fill out the survey here.