LEO Flint Salary Re-opener Kick-off
LEO members & allies at bargaining kick-off rally
On Monday from 10 AM-1PM, LEO held a Kick-off Event to support the start of salary re-opener negotiations with the University of Michigan administration.
Over 50 lecturers, staff, tenure-track faculty, graduate students, and other allies gathered to support LEO demands.
The morning started off with a casual coffee & donuts with the bargaining team, then lecturers headed to the bargaining table to present their opening proposal to management. After caucusing, the bargaining kick-off event ended with a rally and speakers at UM-Flint’s McKinnon Plaza.
Speaker’s included:
Kim Saks, Assistant Professor, UM-Flint, Secretary UMF AFT-AAUP
Hilary Murmers, LGBTQIA+ Coordinator UM-Flint Center for Gender and Sexuality, Vice President University Staff United
Claudia Walters, Lecturer IV, UM-Dearborn
Jennifer Miller, Lecturer IV, UM-Flint, Lead Negotiator
Paul Brown, UM Regent
From June 1, 2026- June 12, 2026, UM-Flint LEO Lecturers will bargain for increased annual raises for the final two years of the LEO Lecturer contract. The 2024-2028 Collective Bargaining Agreement included a salary reopener provision that would allow LEO to negotiate additional increases to lecturer annual increases in Dearborn and Flint if “annual undergraduate credit hour generation on the campus cumulatively increases by 10% from that of the 2023-2024 academic year, known as the ‘10th day count.’” On the Flint campus, the threshold was surpassed with an increase of 19.4% triggering a return to bargaining about salary for its Flint lecturers.
The best part of bargaining: The Caucus Room! Members & allies get to discuss and shape what happens during negotiations.
“Lecturers play a major role in the success of the University of Michigan-Flint, teaching about 55% of student credit hours.”
“Lecturers play a major role in the success of the University of Michigan-Flint, teaching about 55% of student credit hours. Many Lecturers work less than full-time, resulting in an average salary under $40,000 a year and are struggling to make ends meet or are working multiple jobs. UM-Flint students deserve well-compensated instructors who can focus on continuing to innovate in their classrooms and prepare their students for bright futures. It’s past time to raise salaries and recognize the value lecturers bring to UM-Flint.”- Cindee Giffen, LEO President
