Summary of 2nd Bargaining Session, Barg Session #3 Info
Subject: Summary of Bargaining Session 2
***April 1, 2022***
Table of Contents:
Announcements:
Events:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Summary of Second Bargaining Session with the UIUC Administration
Brief Summary:
The session began with a discussion of ground rules (which determine the bargaining practices between the two parties). The administration’s ground rule proposals were exclusionary and ableist, and meant to prevent membership from attending bargaining sessions, including forbidding hybrid participation and limiting members’ ability to attend the session.
After consulting with the caucus, the lead negotiators (Karla Sanabria-Véaz and Michael Klajbor-Smith) stated that we are firmly committed to the safety and accessibility of these sessions for our membership; we rejected the administration’s refusal to participate in hybrid sessions, agreeing to meet online for the next bargaining session while we continue to negotiate for a hybrid modality in the future. We also agreed to not using closed caption transcription for future arbitration purposes, as long closed captions were available for members during our online bargaining sessions.
After ground rules, we asked the administration to present their full contract proposal, as they promised at our first bargaining session on March 7. They provided a proposal that incorporated very minor changes, like updating office names and restating previously agreed upon side letters. The university’s lead negotiator, Robb Craddock, described this proposal as “non-economic,” which meant that it did not include any proposals related to wages, healthcare, or other mandatory subjects of bargaining. The administration’s response was insulting, given the many hours of research and thought that went into the union’s proposals.
The GEO Bargaining Team’s lead negotiators reiterated that this was NOT the full proposal we expected, and that the administration had come unprepared to bargain which is highly unprofessional. The administration said they would not offer a full proposal until we answered questions about our initial full contract proposal (questions they had not provided to us in advance of the session).
Ultimately, the contentious session ended with scheduling the next bargaining session for Thursday, April 28 from 3:30-5:30 pm CT via Zoom. At this next session, we expect the admin to present us with their questions and also respond to several information requests GEO submitted to them today. Register for the next session below in the events section!
Detailed Summary
Ground Rules Discussion: Hybrid Modality & Closed Captioning
The Bargaining Team–led by lead negotiators Karla Sanabria-Véaz (Linguistics) and Michael Klajbor-Smith (Communication Studies)--met with the administration–led by Robb Craddock, Senior Director of Labor & Employee Relations–on the afternoon of April 1. The negotiations began around ground rules, with our lead negotiators and the administration both sharing ground rules proposals; these ground rules determine how we bargain with the administration.
The administration’s ground rule proposals were meant to exclude membership from attending bargaining sessions. Their proposals included forbidding hybrid participation and limiting the members (dues-paying members only, which would exclude fellows) who could attend.
The lead negotiators then met with the membership caucus to discuss the proposals. GEO members overwhelmingly responded that because we are committed to accessibility during the pandemic, hybrid participation for our membership was a priority. We returned to the bargaining session to make this proposal. Robb Craddock said that as “the chief spokesperson” for the university, “I am not comfortable with a hybrid situation, and that is my position.” Additional justification was not given, despite our repeated arguments that accessibility and pandemic safety was essential for our members’ full participation in the bargaining process.
We tentatively agreed to meet online for the next session but did not come to an agreement on any ground rules. Robb then said that the administration would allow captions to be turned on for the Zoom session and asked that we not take the caption transcripts and use them elsewhere, for example, on social media or in an arbitration. The caucus agreed that this was reasonable, and we accepted admin’s proposal that closed captions would be used with the understanding they would not be put to uses beyond the synchronous session.
The GEO Bargaining Team agreed to have a comprehensive response to the ground rules at the next bargaining session.
Administration’s “Full Proposal”
At our first session on March 7, Robb claimed that they would present a “full proposal.” However, the “full proposal” presented by the administration did not include ANY economic proposals, including wages, healthcare, and other mandatory subjects of bargaining. The administration’s proposals only included what Robb called “employer comprehensive non-economic proposals.” These proposals were very small changes to the language that incorporated past side letter language (which were previously agreed on between us and the administration) and updating office names.
This led to confusion which we had to clarify with the administration. Robb stated that “We have not given an economic response to your proposals,” after saying that they were providing a “comprehensive” proposal. They claimed that they have questions about the Bargaining Team’s full contract proposal from March 7 before they responded in full.
Ultimately, they came unprepared to bargain on mandatory topics of bargaining and intending to waste the time of the 30+ GEO members in attendance. After clarifying that this was the case, the lead negotiators submitted an info request, asking a set of 8 questions largely related to the economic status of the university and the costs of providing healthcare to membership. In response, Robb asked that we spend the entire next bargaining session answering admin’s questions. Even when pressed by Karla and Michael, Robb would not agree to bring any substantive economic proposals to the next meeting.
Concluding the Session
To end this contentious session, we scheduled the next bargaining session on Thursday, April 28 from 3:30-5:30 pm CT via Zoom. While the administration wants to go through our proposal and ask questions about our changes, Karla and Michael reiterated that we want to see the administration’s full proposal with economic proposals before we enter into bargaining. Robb concluded the session by ending the Zoom meeting preemptively.
EVENTS
Bargaining Session 3 on Thursday, April 28th from 3:30-5:30 PM CT
Thursday, April 28, 3:30-5:30 pm CT
Via Zoom. Register to attend at https://tinyurl.com/GEOBargSess3.
The next bargaining session is scheduled for Thursday, April 28th from 3:30-5:30 PM. The Bargaining Team needs as much support as possible, make sure to pack the screen for this virtual session! We will continue to work towards a fair contract!
[alt text:Purple poster with pink bullhorn on the top right. Big text in alternating white, white with black borders, and pink says: “FULL CONTRACT BARGAINING SESSION #3 4/28/22”. Underneath this says “3:30 PM-5:30 PM” in pink. Under this says “On Thursday, April 28 from 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM, GEO’s Bargaining Team will be negotiating with university administration on topics of access and justice, wages and waivers, and health and safety in our contract.” To the right of this is the GEO logo in white. At the bottom is orange text that says “RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/GEOBargSess3”]
JOIN A GEO COMMITTEE!
We are a member-run union; we depend on the commitment of our members to stay as strong as possible. You can find details about what each committee does and how to contact them on our website. No special knowledge is required. You can also follow the calendar of events on our website for the date and time of upcoming meetings. Meetings are open to membership, and coming to a meeting does not commit you to joining a committee.
https://www.uiucgeo.org/committees-and-working-groups
Upcoming meetings:
Solidarity Committee (solcomm@uigeo.org) - Thursday, April 14th 5:00pm-6:30pm. Hybrid. Google Meet https://meet.google.com/cjv-rvbu-aym and GEO Office (809 S 5th St Geneva Room. McKinley)
Bargaining Team (barg@uigeo.org) - Friday, April 8th 1:00pm-3:00pm. Contact email for link.
Grievance Committee (grievance@uigeo.org) - Tuesday, April 12th 1:00pm-2:00pm. Virtual. https://meet.google.com/see-bcwq-gbn
Stewards’ Council (sc@uigeo.org) - Tuesday, April 5th 6:30pm-7:30 pm. Virtual. Contact email for link.
People First Cancel Debt Committee (officer2@uigeo.org)- , Tuesday, April 12th 5:00pm-6:30pm Hybrid (online via Jitsi) and GEO Office (809 S 5th St Geneva Room. McKinley Foundation.
Coordinating Committee (cc@uigeo.org) - Meetings open to all GEO Members. Monday, April 11th from 2:00pm-4:00pm. Hybrid: Google Meet and GEO Office. Contact email for more.
Communications Committee (commcomm@uigeo.org) - Wednesday, April 6th 5:00-6:00 pm. Every other Wednesday on google meet. Contact email for more.
Disability Caucus (commcomm@uigeo.org) - Tuesday, April 5th 3:00-4:00 pm. Every Tuesday on google meet. Contact geodisabilityuiuc@gmail.com or officer3@uigeo.org for more.
Work Action Group (waglist@uigeo.org) - Monday, April 4th 7:00-8:00 pm. Hybrid: Every Monday on google meet and GEO office. Contact waglist@uigeo.org for more.
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org