We had our fourth bargaining session with UW administration today. After receiving our proposal for a one-year agreement last week, today management made new proposals on a number of articles (summaries below), and is now proposing a three-year contract.
We need to ensure members’ needs are being met in our next contract. Similar to admin’s previous proposal for a one-year contract, this three-year proposal falls significantly short of these needs. For example, when it came to wages, management did finally make some movement to incorporate the peer institutions framing we’ve been proposing. However, their proposal was for no wage increases for the first two years, and then in the third year, either a market adjustment to 90% of the median wage of our peer institutions or a 1% increase, whichever is lower. This clearly continues to fall far short of members’ needs, and of the overall need to improve recruitment and retention of underrepresented ASEs by offering competitive wages.
- Childcare: Admin proposed phasing in increases to the childcare fund, proposing an increase to the total fund in 2022 (from $60,000 to $65,000) and an additional increase of the per-person amount (from $1250 to $1350) and total fund (to $70,200) in 2023.
- Grievance Procedure: Admin proposed removing language that enables us to skip the first step when filing grievances, and also proposed removing standing arbitration dates. Both of these provisions are important for enabling us to move issues through the grievance procedure efficiently, so we are opposed to making these changes.
- Holidays; Leaves; Vacation; & Workload: In a few related proposals, admin proposed modifying how leave, vacation, and personal time is counted, including by proposing that leave, vacation, and personal time be entered/tracked in Workday.
- Hourly Pay Scale Transparency: Admin proposed removing the clause “beginning Fall 2018” as this has already transpired.
- Health Insurance & Insurance Appendix: Admin proposed including language in Article 13 about the GAIP experience plan we previously proposed including in Article 29. In response to our previous proposal, they also proposed improving gender-affirming care to all be covered at in-network rates.
- Layoffs: Admin proposed removing a reference to a now-outdated university handbook.
- Non-Discrimination and Harassment: Admin proposed a modified version of their previous proposal to remove language in our current contract that defines discrimination and sexual harassment, instead referencing Executive Order 31 to make those definitions. We once again emphasized that our current contract language has been effective at protecting members, and that we aren’t interested in relying on a University-controlled policy instead.
- Wages: As mentioned above, admin proposed no wage increases in 2021 or 2022, and then in 2023 increasing base wages either (a) to 90% of the median of our peer group or (b) by 1%, whichever is lesser. While their adoption of the peer framework we’ve been proposing is important, this proposal obviously falls far short of what members need — including by falling short of what the University needs to do improve equity by recruiting and retaining ASEs from underrepresented groups.
- U-PASS: In the context of the three-year proposal, admin proposed extending the free UPASS through Spring 2024.
- PBFs at IHME: In the context of a three-year proposal, admin proposed including information about PBF salaries.
Administration also said that they agreed to our proposals to maintain current contract language on articles 6, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 31, 36. Further, after we indicated last week we agreed with their proposals on Article 4, Article 30, Article 34, and MOU Immigration Status & Work Authorization, today admin also said they agreed. They also agreed to remove an MOU on Paid Family Leave that is now outdated.
We spent the final part of today’s bargaining session in union caucus to discuss counter-proposals, and plan to have a package of counter-proposals sent to management before our next bargaining session on April 12th. Any member who is interested in getting involved with developing counterproposals, email ase-bargaining-team@uaw4121.org!
Upcoming meetings and actions
- Next bargaining session: Monday 4/12 from 9am-5pm, with a caucus starting at 8:30am. All members are welcome and encouraged to join bargaining. To learn more about the bargaining process and get involved, please join our union’s bargaining Slack by filling out this form, and email ase-bargaining-team@uaw4121.org if you have any trouble accessing Slack. For a full schedule of upcoming sessions, check out our ASE Bargaining Center.
- Equity Survey turnout: To continue building momentum behind our contract campaign and our demands, especially on issues of equity, please fill out this year’s equity survey! If you can help build turnout in your department, email our Organizing Committee (ase-organizing@uaw4121.org) to get connected with the relevant resources!
- For more info on how to get involved, check out the Get Involved page of the Bargaining Center!
In Solidarity,
UAW 4121 ASE Bargaining Committee
Douglas Avella
Vern Harner
Amzi Jeffs
Levin Kim
Kyle Kubler
Jacob O’Connor
Nayon Park
Marissa Parker
Solmaz Shakerifard
Samantha Thompson
Momona Yamagami
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