At the end of the academic year, FAM went out with a bang at graduation! Students showed support for FAM faculty and librarians by wearing stickers and holding FAM fans. We handed out over 3000 fans and stickers to graduates, which shows we have huge support from our students and they agree we deserve a FAIR CONTRACT NOW!
The academic year may be over, but our team is still hard at work negotiating our second contract for BOTH units that will make significant positive change for members. Management, meanwhile, continues to examine the ground to see how they can dig even deeper into the depths of disappointing their employees.
FAM-T hit the table Monday, May 19 with a handful of proposals, including Compensation, Performance Improvement Plans, and a package proposal on Leaves and Professional Development Leaves and Assignments. Management responded with counters on Labor-Management Meetings, Separability, Compensation, and a new counter on PIPs that renames it to Performance Counseling and Performance Improvement Plans.
FAM-T and the administration remain at odds. FAM is working hard to make sure faculty work is appropriately recognized. We want all full-time faculty with at least seven years of service to be eligible to take a Faculty Improvement Leave, to protect the rights of anyone placed on a PIP, and to ensure that everyone is paid FAIRLY for the work they do. The University wants to make sure they have the final say in virtually EVERYTHING by proposing in multiple articles new and overreaching limits on what we can fight back against, without paying you anything close to wages that keep up with inflation.
On the librarian side of things, FAM-L was at the table today fighting for better compensation, improved professional development funding, and better paid parental leave. Management’s initial package proposal on Association Rights, Professional Development and Reimbursement for Travel, and Compensation offered little incentive for us to accept their proposal. However, just when we were thinking about writing them off entirely, they did end up making significant movement at the end of the day. Management’s total Compensation offer is still not where we need it be, but for the first time during these negotiations, they have shown willingness to offer a set amount each year.
In return, FAM-L passed various packages about these topics. Our package on Sick Leave and Leaves and Other Time Off Work backs off of our proposal to have access to Bereavement Leave in return for expanding Paid Parental Leave for our members. Our other package on Professional Development (PD) funds and Compensation would increase the amount of PD funding available for our members and give our PD committee more flexibility in administering those funds while compromising on Compensation by removing our request for set minimum salaries.
What is a union member to do about this? Our negotiation team need YOU to help us move management at the table:
- Come to our upcoming bargaining sessions to show management you support a Fair Contract Now:
- FAM-T (faculty): May 22; June 1, 3, 15, 22
- FAM-L (librarians): May 19, 27; June 17, 24, 30 (additional June dates to be discussed)
Being present at bargaining, especially in person, signals to Management’s team that they are not just speaking to our negotiation team, but to the entire unit. It forces them to recognize that you care about not just the final contract that is tentatively agreed to, but about every step of the process.
We are stronger together. Our power is not in individuals, but in our solidarity.
We bargain again on Friday for FAM-T. Write info@famiami.org with questions or to get involved!
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