Lecturer Bargaining Update: Bargaining Recap for 4/5/2024
Last Friday the room was packed with supporters and high energy for our third Open Bargaining event! Over 100 lecturers and 50 allies joined us for our morning session and march. At noon we gathered outside of Palmer Commons and heard from CAT co-lead Jimmy Brancho and Dearborn B Team member Jamie Wraight before marching to the Ruthven Administration building where Randy Tessier accompanied us on the guitar for a group singing of “Solidarity Forever” and “Whose Side Are You On?”
In the morning, our team passed our Appointments and Layoff proposals with our dates moved back to April 30th packaged with some movement in Provisions for Special Case Appointments. We sent an additional package of Professional Development funds starting at $95,000 in Ann Arbor and $40,000 in Dearborn & Flint coupled again with the dropping of Tuition Support. We also passed back Benefits Plans, which is nearing agreement and our Housing Committee proposal, which remains unchanged. Leigh Stuckey, Ann Arbor Lecturer and parent, delivered compelling testimony while holding her youngest child, supporting our Childcare proposal.
Finally, we passed back our Salary counter proposal, which included some movement in our major review increases bringing down the MR minima $1000 for Lecturer II and IV with one MR and $500 for those with two or more MRs. We also demonstrated movement by bringing longevity increases from $2000 to $1800. In annual salaries we maintain the 8% in Ann Arbor and 7% in Dearborn in Flint. To mirror the structure of administration's last offer, we have proposed bonuses for Flint and Dearborn lecs of $700, $600, $500 over the three years of the contract paid out equally over the Fall and Winter semester. This counter underlines the importance of getting more money in the pockets of existing lecturers on all 3 campuses. Following our presentation of the proposal we heard from Dearborn B Team member PF Potvin and UMPNC President Kara Ayotte who spoke in support of our salary demands.
We continue to turn up the heat and need all members to contribute:
Lecs: sign the strike pledge! If you have any questions, please reach out.
Members: register and attend bargaining this Friday, April 12th! We will meet at Pierpont Commons (AA North Campus) in caucus at 9am.
Sign the Open Letter to UM Admin in support of funds to the Dearborn and Flint campus.
Be sure to follow our proposals on LEO’s Public Proposal Tracker.
If you join bargaining on Zoom, make sure to change your profile picture and Zoom background to our new RED designs!
Dues-paying members have access to our Lecturer Slack Workspace where they can get live bargaining updates as well as participate in a myriad of different group conversations where questions get asked and answered and fun is had. Email your steward or LEO staff to join!
We’re only as strong as our collective efforts! Members can learn about and join one of LEO’s many committees.
Please share any photos or videos you might’ve taken at LEO events with communications@leounion.org.
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