SNRE Solidarity

Membership Meeting Monday

snresolidarity — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:40:40 +0000

Is “Solidarity Forever” still stuck in your head? Then come to the membership meeting on Monday! Get a behind the scenes look at bargaining, hear about developments in the new contract, nominate new people to the GEO leadership, and send our contract out for ratification! You don’t have to be teaching right now to vote, associate members are welcome too!!!

Membership Meeting – Monday March 31st

7:00 pm – Michigan League Ballroom

This is also your chance to get involved on still unresolved issues like the 10 term rule, and to help us sort out domestic partner issues. Come join the fun!

Celebrate The New Contract!

snresolidarity — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:23:24 +0000

Letter From GEO Bargaining Team!

snresolidarity — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 04:31:47 +0000

Hail to the victors! We have a tentative agreement. Here is the bargaining team’s summary.

Dear GEO members and supporters,

Due to our successful walkout today, which shut down activity across
campus, the Administration asked to reenter bargaining this afternoon
in the interest of avoiding a second day. Following a marathon session
of negotiating, at 11:42pm Tuesday night we reached a tentative
agreement on a new contract.

Because of this progress, the GEO Bargaining Team, empowered by
stewards, activists, strike captains, and picketers has CALLED OFF the
second day of the walkout Wednesday.

This is a HISTORIC contract that shows the power of organized labor.
The administration has never been willing to bargain with us during a
walkout before. They were also willing to engage us on particular
issues on which they were previously unwilling to talk. We made huge
progress in this round of bargaining, and it is all due to the power of
our members and the support of other unions and workers supporting our
issues. Some highlights include:

SALARIES: A combination of percentage and lump sum increases
totaling 13.6% (only a percentage point less than our strike platform
proposal). Salaries will increase 6.2% in the first year and 3.5% in
the next two years. In the final year of the contract, a 0.5 GSI will
make $17,395 for two semesters’ work.

LOW FRACTIONS: Since bargaining began, GEO membership voiced strong concern for the need to address the problems faced by those working the fewest hours and having the toughest time getting by. This contract includes several historic
achievements for low-fraction employees that GEO has been working
towards for decades. ALL of us will now receive zero-premium health
insurance. Low fractions will finally receive an equal hourly wage for
their work. And all those working 7.5 hours or more per week will now
receive FULL tuition waivers.

MENTAL HEALTH CARE: GEO members made it very clear that the
University should take mental health care issues seriously. The
administration has agreed to move forward by either increasing the cap
on mental health office visits from 25 to 30, or by establishing a
$30,000 pool to pay for those who max out their visits. GEO and the
administration will meet to decide on the optimal approach.

PARENTS’ ISSUES: We continued moving toward ensuring access
for student parents with increased child care subsidies and a new
parental leave policy that ensures 6 paid weeks of maternity leave.

POSTING: We made significant progress in our efforts to make
it easier for grads to find open GSI and GSSA positions away from their
home department. From now on, we will be able to subscribe to a
listserv to which all available positions will be posted (and
unsubscribe when you get one).

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES: Through this contract campaign, we’ve raised awareness in the union and across the University about the issues faced by employees with disabilities. While we were unable to persuade the administration to immediately address these employees’ needs, we have put a process in place which will facilitate continued progress. Next year, GEO and the administration
will jointly hire a GSSA whose projects will include working with employers with mployees to address the barriers they face at this institution. Look for more action ahead as we continue to work with all of those across campus who are joining together to make this a truly accessible university.

The tentative agreement will be presented to the GEO membership at our
March 31 Membership Meeting and sent for ratification by the entire
membership. Questions and details about the contract will be addressed
there.

As a union, we offer our heartfelt thanks to all the supporters who
played a key role in making these historic gains possible: construction
workers who took a day’s pay cut to stand in solidarity with us;
students who marched on the picket lines; LEO members and other faculty
who cancelled classes and respected our picket lines; the great cooks
from the Wobbly Kitchen who fed us; and the union brothers and sisters
from around the country who sent in faxes and letters of support, and
joined us in our efforts today.

In solidarity,
Colleen Woods
GEO Lead Negotiator

Helen Ho

GEO President

Second Day of Strike Averted!

snresolidarity — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 04:23:26 +0000

GEO and the administration have tentatively settled on an agreement, we will not be walking out tomorrow! Here are the highlights:

6.2 in year 1, 3.5 in year 2 and 3
Full tuition waiver for 0.2 and above
Wage parity for low fractions
No premium health care for all fractions
An additional 5 mental health care visits (from 25 to 30)
6 weeks parental leave for birth moms, and 3 for non birth parents

Good work everyone! We have a mass membership meeting on March 31st at 7:00 in the Michigan League Ballroom, where we can discuss the offer and decide whether to send out a ballot for ratification. I’m so proud of everyone who participated in the walk out, especially in SNRE. In a department with little job security, we were well represented on the picket line!

Bargaining Update and Beer

snresolidarity — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:02:11 +0000

After a long day on the picket lines, our union members can use a beer. GEO has booked the Taproom at Arbor Brewing Company. The festivities begin at 5:00 and end at 11:00.

Also, we are back at the bargaining table today, and hopefully we’ll make some progress. We’ll have a bargaining update around 8:00pm, also at Arbor Brewing. Get your news, get a beer, put in your two cents about bargaining.

One Down, One To Go

snresolidarity — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:52:14 +0000

Over 600 people showed up to walk the picket lines! Although SNRE is a small department, we are mighty! Many of our GSIs showed up to picket. Perhaps not coincidentally, the administration called us back into bargaining today.

We are also getting some press outside the Michigan Daily. The Chronicle of Higher Education ran a story on the walk out, as did the Detroit Free Press, and The Ann Arbor News. Even Michigan Public Radio is in on the act.

Goodnight Administration!

snresolidarity — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:59:56 +0000

After we put across our proposals, the administration had no counter offers. Although GEO was prepared to bargain until midnight, they went home about an hour and a half after we put forth our package, around 9:00pm. Sleep tight, administration. We’ll see you on the picket line tomorrow.

Come to Operation Fail Safe!

snresolidarity — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:51:01 +0000

Come to the Operation Failsafe meeting 7:00 pm. Come talk about the proposals made today by the administration.

Today the administration offered us this package:

4.89% first year, 3% in years 2 and 3
No-premium health care for all fractions
Wage parity for lowest fractions (0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2)

We are countering with this package:

Take summer bridge pay off the table
52 visits for mental health care, instead of full parity
Salary proposal remains the same ($781 +3% Cost of Living Adjustment, 3% in year 2 and 3)

Come discuss!

Administration Making Concessions, GEO Wants Member Input

snresolidarity — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 21:59:08 +0000

Bargaining started this afternoon and could potentially go till midnight to try and prevent the walkout.

The administration is clearly concerned about the job action, and since negotiations started a few hours ago they’ve pushed a lot of paper across the table. It looks like more substantial proposals today than in all the previous sessions since December, combined. There are some considerable concessions on offer, including on low-fraction healthcare and hourly wage parity.

GEO wants people to come to the negotiations pronto, so they can weight their options in caucus, and again at this evening’s failsafe meeting. Here’s what Stephen Sparks has to say:

Hey everyone,

We’re having a discussion about what people’s bottom lines are at the moment given the movement at the table. they’ve increased the ‘competitive adjustment’ in the first year to a total of a 4.89% increase. they’ve proposed health care benefits to ALL employees, including low fractions. and a new wage parity chart that particularly helps out low fractions. the discussions are continuing. we’re having a ‘fail-safe’ meeting tonight at 7 in the GEO office at 330 E. Liberty St, 3rd floor. COME TO MASON 2306 to join the conversation, and COME to the fail-safe meeting at the office!!!

in solidarity,
stephen

Picket Lines 101

snresolidarity — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 21:56:59 +0000

I’m a picketer signed up for a shift. Where do I go? What
do I do?

GEO will set up a Strike Central Nervous System (Strike CNS!) on
the Diag outside of Haven Hall. You’ll see a table full of
supplies, picket signs, and volunteer staffers. Please come to
this location TEN minutes before your shift begins. You’ll sign
in, get a picket sign, a name tag, and some other supplies. Then,
we’ll either have you wait until a critical mass of picketers
arrives and send you off to a picket line, or simply send you as
soon as you arrive. Once you arrive at your picket line, you’ll
check in with the GEO Strike Captain (look for someone wearing a
funny hat), who will make sure you have everything you need to get
started. And then, join the line!

If you want to picket at a particular place, let us know that when
you arrive, and we’ll do our best to accommodate.

I don’t remember my shift. Can you remind me what it is?

We actually have too many picket commitments to get our data entry
done for this task (a very good problem to have!), so we ask that
if you are in doubt, please consider the 8am shift on both days,
as these are the shifts with the fewest commitments at this point.

I’d like to picket with people I know. How do I accomplish
this?

Picketing with friends is a great thing! Our best advice is to
show up at Strike CNS at the same time as the people with whom
you’d like to picket. If you are joining someone who is already on
a picket line, show up at Strike CNS and we’ll do our best to
accommodate sending you there. We’re trying to keep track of who
is where so we know the strength of each line at any given time;
coming to our central location will help us out, but if you just
end up on a line, no one will turn you away!

I’m picketing all day! Won’t I get hungry? Thirsty? Cold?
Rained on? A Sore Throat?

We thought about all of these things!

FOOD AND DRINK:
On the lines, we’ll have snacks available – fruit and trail mix –
as well as water bottles, coffee and hot water for tea. For lunch
during the Tuesday’s midday shift, thanks to a generous donation
of food and cooking power from a member of a UAW local union,
we’ll be bringing hot food to the various picket lines (awesome
rice and beans in pitas), and to the Diag for the midday rally. Of
course, you should feel free to bring what you need to keep
yourself full and powered up!

BAD WEATHER, SORE THROATS, and FEET!
Please prepare for rain and snow. We’ll have trash bags to keep
people covered up from rain. We also suggest wearing layers, hats,
scarves and gloves, as well as very comfortable shoes. We’ll have
water bottles to keep your throats lubricated, but again, feel
free to bring your own as well. We’ll also have lozenges, pain
killers, and band-aids on hand.

REST:
Take breaks if you need to. The most important thing you can do is
rest your voice and feet if you over overexerting yourself. Let
your strike captain know that you need a break; you could
volunteer to pass out handbills to those going into buildings.

If you need an indoor break, you may also head to Café Ambrosia,
located at 326 Maynard Street (between Liberty and William, a
block west of State Street), where the owner Ed has generously
lent the entire basement to GEO for this very purpose.

BATHROOMS:
We’ve got portapotties scattered near picket lines for people to
take bathroom breaks; Café Ambrosia is also an available spot.

What are other ways I can show my support?
One really important thing you can do is thank the folks at Café
Ambrosia for being an integral, crucial part of this walkout. Ed,
the owner, as well as Jimmy, Matt, and other staff at the café are
giving us the entire basement of the cafe to use for whatever we
need- making coffee, providing storage, keeping phones charged,
warming food and picketers up on a regular basis, and providing
general moral support. PLEASE stop by Ambrosia whenever you can to
thank Ed and others, and leave a generous tip if you are able to.
AND, make Ambrosia your exclusive coffee source for the rest of
your time in Ann Arbor.

Other things you can do?
Bring friends with you to the walkout.
Encourage those who are leaving the lines to stay! Talk to
everyone you know about why you’re participating and welcome
people to be part of the fight.

What Do Benefits and Salary Cost the University?

snresolidarity — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:44:18 +0000

GSIs want both a fair contract and a fiscally responsible institution. Fortunately, we can have both! Below are the costs of some of the items on the table. Remember that we have a $7 billion dollar endowment to work from, and that the University of Michigan’s general fund is $1.3 Billion. The total cost of GSI salaries per year is $24 million, or 1.8% of the general fund. Basically, we’re a bargain!

Some issues on the table and their cost:

Full Health care for GSIs teaching at fractions above 0.2

$270,000 over the life of the 3 year contract

Wage Parity for low fraction employees

$60,000 per year

Last year’s 3% raise

$800,000

Some things GEO already conceded, and we will NOT be getting:

Full Health care for GSIs teaching at fractions below 0.2

$135,000 over the life of the 3 year contract

Dental Coverage II

$950,000 per year

Vision Coverage

$600,000 per year

What I’m Doing With My Sections

snresolidarity — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:56:21 +0000

I teach two lab sections this week, both on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the other GSI does the same.

We talked about it together and with our professor, and decided that we would hold class. We’ve sent out a ctool announcement with some accomodations:

we booked the room for an extra drop-in after the walkout.
email submission of assignments so people don’t have to enter Dana.
extra office hours to help explain the lab material after the walkout.

I hope that will also make it clear that we’re not expecting people to show up, and won’t sanction those who don’t.

I’ve taken some flack for the hypocrisy of holding class while otherwise supporting the action. Frankly I don’t mind. The idea of not teaching the class got explored and for a couple of reasons it isn’t in the cards. I’m thrilled that my other classes are getting formally or informally canceled, but in my own case I’d much rather do some things than nothing to support the work stoppage. I’m not inclined to make the perfect the enemy of the good.

So I’ll see you on the picket lines. And in class. Or in make-up sections.

What are other people doing?

Hugh

What Can Faculty Do To Help?

snresolidarity — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:24:18 +0000

Some faculty members may recall their glory days as graduate students and may want to support their GSIs. We welcome your help! Here is a list of things you can do to support GEO. If you think of more, please feel free to add in the comments section.

Educate students! Some undergraduates aren’t well informed about labor issues or may not know much about academic contract negotiations.
Allow students to make up assignments and tests if they choose not to cross picket lines
Offer make up instruction at an alternate time to students who don’t wish to cross the picket line
Support your GSIs if they choose to participate in the job action
Inform your colleagues about the issues. Faculty are busy, and some may not know the current proposals on the table. Others may be curious about the GEO response to the letters they have received from Dean Terry McDonald and Dean Phil Hanlon
Take a shift on the picket line with your graduate students. Your presence is a big morale boost!

Whatever you decide to do, we appreciate your support. We look forward to getting a fair contract settled as soon as possible so we can focus doing what we love: teaching!

Sign Up For Picket Shifts

snresolidarity — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 04:21:12 +0000

Get Out On the Picket Line!

Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, there’s a picket shift for you (Morning, Lunch, Afternoon). If you are super awesome, you can join us ALL DAY LONG! Sign up using the Online Sign Up Sheet

If you’re feeling spontaneous, you can just report to the GEO command center in the Diag, and they will hand you a picket sign and send you where you are needed most.

The Votes Are In

snresolidarity — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 03:05:28 +0000

No: 177
Yes: 727

The walk out is authorized.

Full Health care for GSIs teaching at fractions above 0.2	$270,000 over the life of the 3 year contract
Wage Parity for low fraction employees	$60,000 per year
Last year’s 3% raise	$800,000

Full Health care for GSIs teaching at fractions below 0.2	$135,000 over the life of the 3 year contract
Dental Coverage II	$950,000 per year
Vision Coverage	$600,000 per year