During the final week of our strike (5/11-5/15), we negotiated a Back to Work MOU which allowed us extra time to submit final grades and promised no retaliation. Although administration was unwilling to make a lot of movement during the strike, we have seen a significant change in their attitude since then. Notably, the university has reversed their strategy of stalling. Instead, they have asked us to bargain more often during the summer. They are finally interested in settling the contract--likely due to the threat of a fall strike.
Throughout May we continued to negotiate Appointment Terms and Hours of Work. On June 5th, we reached agreement on several important articles: Appointment Terms, Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment, and Employee Rights. In these articles, we won:
$15 additional dollars off the International Student Fee (the waiver now covers $80),
Any FTE changes now have to be communicated in writing,
All equipment required for work must be paid for by the university,
The ability to request a new evaluator if the one we were assigned cannot be fair,
More protections for workers’ comp and workplace injury,
Status quo language on non-discrimination, which the university was trying to roll back.
Since then, four outstanding issues remain on the table: Wages, Hours of Work, Healthcare, and Duration. In June, membership voted to explore a 4-year deal with the university, if it meant higher wages. In general we like shorter contracts, because when we bargain, we win new protections. But the university has indicated far more willingness to move on their wage number in a 4-year contract. On July 10th, the university offered almost double their initial wage offer: they proposed 4%-Campus-Campus-Campus (Campus Wage is the raise offered to all UIC employees each year, ranging from 3% to 0% in extraordinary years). This offer is contingent on the acceptance of their Healthcare deal, which raises the price of CampusCare year over year ($20-$25-$25-$0), with, notably, no hike in the fourth year. Although a 4-year deal now seems likely, both parties reserve the right to revert to a 3-year deal. Keino expressed the desire to bargain multiple times per week, indicating that he is under pressure to settle over the summer.
On July 17th, the university raised their offer again, passing us 4.5%-Campus-Campus-Campus. They explicitly expressed the desire to frontload raises due to budget uncertainty. Their team indicated their appreciation for our speed and good faith bargaining, and said that they would do what they could to get us a guaranteed raise in year 2. Hours of Work is still a sticking point, but is getting closer to agreement. We are now asking merely that primary instructors who receive less than .5 FTE get a written explanation of the decision in their offer letters. This has been met with a familiar talking point: administration can’t possibly get so many different departments to fall in line. However, Keino indicated that he would work to move towards our proposal.
There has been a marked shift in the tone and speed of bargaining over the summer. There can be no doubt that this has been the result of our disruptive spring strike, as well as the threat of a fall strike which could coincide with a faculty strike. But despite movement and their desire to settle over the summer, there is still more to be won, particularly on wages. Our analysis is that the university’s willingness to move on wages is still not exhausted. Whether we can continue to move them, however, depends on our organizing efforts. As much as Keino would like to be done with us, he does not have the final say. We need to escalate pressure on their key decision makers--Chancellor Miranda, CFO Paul Ellinger, and Vice Chancellor of Finance Matthew Fajack. Although we have made immense progress so far this summer, there is more to be won--and that battle is not fought only at the bargaining table itself.
Last week of Strike (11th-15th):
11th fake Hubert session; we still passed Appt Terms and Employee Rights
Status Quo from university, with attempts for movement still on key areas from GEO
Back to Work MOU and its provision negotiated throughout the day
May 18th
This is where they indicated they would move on appointment terms and cover more of the international student fee, in exchange for dropping the waiver language
May 27th
Continued to push hours of work, and were requested to provide examples of cases where folks were IOR for less than 50%
They sent us non-econ SQ (walked back int’l fee)
June 5th
Tentative Agreements:
Appointment terms (international student fee)
International student fee waiver now covers 80$
FTE changes have to be communicated in writing
Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment and Employee Rights mostly status quo so toot horn of other stuff
June 26
Pass 4 year wage structure 9-9-3-3, based on vote at SMM earlier that week
July
After moving to 4 year structure they moved, first to 4-camp-camp-camp and now to 4.5-camp-camp-camp
Proposing same increases in CampusCare (20$, 25$,25$), including no increase an the new year 4
Hours of work further narrowed to be about recording cases where IOR teaching high level courses are not given .5 fte. they have shown real willingness to engage (IMO), they passed it back, but said they were still trying to make it work for departments
July 10th:
Admin passed us 4%-campus-campus-campus.
Admin expressed desire to meet multiple times per week.
Admin said if a 4-year contract cannot be decided by aug. 16th, they hold the right to revert to last 3-year contract (2.25% campus campus)
July 14th:
We passed 8-8-2-campus (with a caveat that we can impact bargain if campus is lower than federal inflation wages).
July 17th:
Admin passed back 4.5-campus-campus-campus. Keino claims Y2 guaranteed wages is something university wants to walk back. University also indicated a wish to front load our wages as much as possible due to budget uncertainty. During caucus, attendees and our mediator Rosa both recommended a sidebar between bargaining chairs (Em and Soliel) and Keino to discuss how to most productively move forward.
After caucus we passed back wages once again with a 8.5-2.5-1.5 “or percentage increase determined on the Chicago campus, whichever is higher”-campus.
Keino said he would work specifically to try and get us a guaranteed % in Y2. Admin expressed appreciation for our speed and good faith bargaining.
Hours of work still on table; our current language was rejected due to lack of agreement/consensus across departments around our language. Keino said that, despite rejection, they are still willing to work on it, so we continue to try to iron out that language and hope to pass it next time.