LEOunion.org

Friday February 19th marked another full day of bargaining with LEO members from all three campuses in attendance.   The major topic of the day was management's response to the various economic proposals from the Union.   Among positive signs was conceptual agreement on making LIs in their 3rd and 4th year eligible for long-term sick pay and disability insurance (which would bring them into line with other University employees), as well as a second bonus for adjunct faculty.  Less positive from LEO's view point is that management seems to regard the union's economic proposals as part of a zero-sum game in which any monies spent for any purpose (however much they may agree with that purpose) will be deducted from the dollars available for annual raises. LEO has argued against this mind-set,  in the belief that university funding is a matter of priorities, and that it is time for undergraduate teaching to become a top priority -- not an after-thought.

Management also presented a counterproposal on the Appointments article and talked about Layoff and Recall.   Again, LEO saw some positive signs in discrete areas, such as LIs becoming eligible for some course cancellation penalties. However, management rejected most of LEO's proposals regarding greater job security for LIs, citing their need for "flexibility."

Earlier in the week, some members of each team met in small groups to discuss the creation of a University-wide senior lecturer program as well as pay distribution.   (At issue here was whether to pay LIIs over eight or twelve months.)   Discussion on both issues was productive: it seems likely that a senior lecturer program will be part of the final agreement, and it also appears that it will be possible to keep the LIIs who are currently being paid over twelve months on that schedule.