Bargaining Update, 6/09
As many of you may know, UFWW is beginning to bargain with the university. I'd like to provide you an update of the bargaining team's activities.
The subjects of bargaining this year are relatively few. According to the contract signed last year, UFWW is required to negotiate compensation for 2009-2011. In addition, both the union and the administration are entitled to re-open up to two sections of the contract to make revisions based upon problems that may have arisen in the process of implementation. Our bargaining team decided to re-open Section 8, Non-Tenure-Track Faculty. The university is not re-opening any sections. All other sections of the contract remain in force until September 15, 2011, and any agreements reached in this new bargaining session will also be valid until that date.
The bargaining team has been working since April. The union and university agreed to begin bargaining on June 15 (rather than May 1 as stipulated in the contract) so that all parties had a more clear picture of the budget situation. We held an initial meeting with the new university bargaining team, led by Steve Swan, Vice President of University Relations. Formal bargaining will begin after classes are over.
We hope to have a tentative agreement for union members to ratify when fall quarter begins. I have good reason to be confident in that goal. Our interactions with Steve Swan and his team (Deans Brent Carbajal, Brian Burton, and Roger Gilman) have been positive and constructive. We are coming to the table with a shared understanding that the union is a vital component in the future success of the university. We may still disagree, but those differences will be resolved in an environment of mutual problem-solving.
If you have general questions about the bargaining process, feel free to contact me (Susan.Costanzo@wwu.edu). Please note that I will not be able to provide details of the actual bargaining.
Enjoy the summer.
Susan Costanzo
Chair, UFWW bargaining team
Department of History