It was yet another disappointing bargaining session with management. And since they have made it clear they are in no hurry to settle this contract, we are turning up the heat with our strike pledge.
Management had yet another opportunity to move bargaining forward this week; instead, they came to the table with the same insulting proposals they’ve been pushing for months – four years with no COLAs, cuts to healthcare and workplace protections, ending employees’ bumping rights during layoffs – more takeaways that ask workers to sacrifice while universities refuse to invest in those of us who keep campuses running. They’ve also rejected our proposals to protect immigrant coworkers, address the growing threat of AI replacing jobs, create a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay and protecting workers if a university changes ownership.
We have an opportunity to force their hand – and members taking action is working. Emailing university presidents, purpling up, rallying and speaking out, we forced management to shift their position on two proposals:
- They adjusted their proposal to change our step system, describing it as a temporary rather than a permanent change to get through universities’ budget crises. In their proposal, workers below step 5 would get a step increase each year of the contract, while those at step 6 – 10 would move up every two years.
- They made movement on our proposal to increase protections for transgender coworkers.
We are just getting started. Management can waste session after session bringing the same bad proposals, and we will keep building a stronger union. We are ready to do what it takes to win a contract that respects our work.
We are united, we are prepared and we are ready to win – every name added to the pledge shows management we have worker power and stand in solidarity.