We bargained with admin for another 8 hours last week, working to make movement on our remaining six proposals that center on our key demands: job security, wages, healthcare, and international worker support. While we saw some small movement on things like hours of work and appointment terms, much more movement is needed on the part of UIC admin to get us closer to an agreement. We also took time last week to discuss strategy around our sanctuary demands, potentially dialing in on worker-oriented demands with OIS and seeing how United Faculty can help advance broader sanctuary demands in their own ongoing bargaining sessions.
On Monday of this week, we brought back Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment, as well as our package on Wages and Healthcare. Admin refuses to budge from their 2% wage increase (a number they’ve been sticking with since January), along with the same increase in the CampusCare fee they’ve been proposing since last semester. In response, GEO stepped down on our wage demand: we proposed an 8% raise each year of the three year contract (Year 1; $26,136, Year 2: $28,227 Year 3: $30,485). We are hoping this significant stepdown will push the university to come closer to our demands--or make any movement at all.
We received a letter from members about our sanctuary demands, and incorporated some of this feedback into our proposals in caucus. However, this has not pushed UIC at all. They say they can’t make provisions about “limited access spaces” because they’d be forced to bargain with other unions on campus about it (translation: they’d be forced to fold to other unions because everyone wants a sanctuary campus). They won’t move on our OIS demands because Keino claims that they “don’t negotiate for other departments” and have no way to make them do their jobs.
Appointment terms is one of the few areas where there has been movement--but on the smaller issues like notification of changes in FTE. UIC has refused other changes, like waiving more of the fees they charge, or allowing departments to give grads extra fee waivers and benefits beyond the minimum, something that would mean some new members of our bargaining unit would suddenly have to pay nearly a thousand more dollars in fees.
UIC has made it clear that they expect to withhold pay from folks on strike (we will be able to pay out whatever they dock, which will in any case not be your whole paycheck). Fortunately, because of solidarity with faculty, it seems they don’t have a good idea who is on strike. They will not offer retro-pay for the past year, and have pressured us with the threat of no possible raise for summer and fall employees if we do not settle a contract soon.