Wednesday, March 15, 2017
In this packet we’ve included:
- Information and updates on all bargaining proposals
- We have limited our discussion tonight to the Parents’ issues, IGSI/Hours Caps, DEI GSSA, Copay Caps, and Raise proposals because a) these issues are very important to members and b) specialists in these areas felt a need to check in with members about their status in bargaining
- The remainder of the proposals will not be revisited tonight because the team remains confident that they can defend the bottom line decided upon last GMM OR because we’ve reached a Tentative Agreement.
- Report backs: membership numbers and recent actions
- Upcoming events: GMMs on 3/24 and 3/31 and a GEO PARTY!
- GEO reminders!
Bargaining Updates
Professional Development Leave
UM has rejected our proposal for professional leave twice. We originally proposed up to 1 week for Fall and Winter term and 3 days for Spring and Summer terms. On 3/13 we presented a proposal that asked for five working days of professional development leave in a 12 month period. We are awaiting HR’s response.
Employee Rights
GEO has proposed that GSIs must be allowed ten hours between when they are permitted to leave at night and when they must return in the morning. (Current contract language only prohibits requiring GSIs to stay past 1:00am). This issue primarily affects departments that hold “grading parties” after evening exams. We are awaiting HR’s response.
With the installation of electronic locks on the Earl V. Moore Building, UM has agreed to allow GSIs with offices there to have access to the building on the same basis as faculty — as was already the case for every other building.
Hiring
Under the current contract, job offers should “typically” be made at least 21 days before the start of term — but some departments habitually make offers much later than that. GEO has proposed a system under which departments would be required to explain late appointments and to do better in future semesters if possible. We are awaiting HR’s response; if they reject our proposal, GEO plans to instead address this issue by filing grievances in any department that makes a significant number of offers after the deadline.
Orientations
GEO has proposed two guarantees to ensure that every new employee has the opportunity to hear from GEO if they choose: that GEO’s 30-minute orientation take place during a break in new employee training, not after the end of the day; and that it take place in the same room. We’re awaiting HR’s response.
Union Dues
The GEO team believes we are close to an agreement with HR allowing for continued payroll deduction of union dues (but not nonmembers’ service fees). Look for an update soon.
No Interference
The GEO team has proposed a contract end date of March 15, so that negotiations will be completed comfortably before the end of Winter term, and no explicit contractual penalty for work stoppages before then. HR has insisted on a stiff penalty and wants the contract to expire in May.
Dental
GEO’s team proposed that the default remains Option 1, but Option 2 is free. We are awaiting HR’s response.
Parking
This proposal was dropped due to insufficient interest relative to other issues. We also filed a grievance prior to bargaining to highlight that some members were affected by the removal of the orange pass for students. HR agreed to a work-around in this grievance hearing. Contact dominic@geo3550.org for details.
Retirement
Acting on the guidance voted on by members at the last GMM, the GEO team offered to drop this proposal as part of a package deal including substantial wage increases. Many members have expressed an interest in having a matching retirement plan available, but for every member that wants it, it seems there is a member for whom it is not a priority. This tension has been reflected both at the GMM where it was initially added to the platform and since. At the GMM last winter this issue generated the most debate, and was added based on our criteria that at least three members write language for it over the summer. Although the language did get written, the proposal never sustained a committed committee, and ultimately was overshadowed by more unifying issues. We encourage interested folks to participate in more discussion about what retirement means for graduate students. This is certainly an issue we can revisit in the future. Email denise@geo3550.org if you want to be a part of this conversation.
Bereavement Leave
Our team most recently proposed 5 consecutive days, with an additional 5 for extenuating circumstances (travel, cultural practice, etc). We are awaiting HR’s response.
Grievance Procedure
The teams signed a Tentative Agreement making for faster resolution of grievances.
Information
The teams signed a Tentative Agreement on changes to information the university reports to the union.
Discussed at the GMM Tonight
Copays
Current contract: Co-pays are set to the same level as those of nonunion staff (and can change at UMs will); no copay cap for services; copay cap of $2500 per year for prescription, and total out of pocket expenses set at …
Our first proposal: Co-pays set at the same they were at beginning of this contract, copay cap of $100 total per year for services, $1500 for prescriptions. UM rejected this.
Our second proposal: Co-pays set at 2016 levels, $150 cap for mental health, $500 for total services, $1750 for prescription. UM rejected this as well.
Our third proposal: Co-pays still set to the same as nonunion staff (UM can change them), Co-pay cap of $150 for mental health, $500 for total services, $1750 for prescription. We are awaiting HR’s response.
Salaries
HR’s last counter was 2.5%/2%/2%. Our last counter was 6%/6%/5.5%.
Parents’ Issues
Child Care Subsidy
GEO has made three proposals at the bargaining table so far. HR rejected the first two and is currently considering the third. Common to all these proposals is language that would increase transparency and accessibility in the subsidy process by preventing the Office of Financial Aid (who manage the subsidy program) from retroactively reducing awards when recipients receive research grants, Rackham travel grants, and other reimbursements that are not income. At present, parents who receive these funds have their subsidies reduced, dollar for dollar, even though a grants and travel funds cannot be used to pay for child care.
Further, the Office of Financial Aid requires that subsidies be spent at child care centers licensed by the state of Michigan and excludes home-based providers that are also licensed by the state, but at a different level. Care centers in Ann Arbor cost, on average, $1700/month per child ($6,800 per term), and home-based care is an average of $1000/month per child. To remedy this, GEO has proposed language that would allow subsidies to be spent on IRS approved child care expenses, including home-based care. This flexibility would allow parents choice in deciding what care is best for their children.
Currently, per term subsidy award maximums are $2,630 (1 child), $3,850 (2 children), $5,076 (3 or more children). Given the high costs of care in Ann Arbor compared to elsewhere in Michigan, on Monday, GEO proposed increases to minimum subsidy awards, with a greater proportion of funds dedicated to families deemed “low-income” by US Federal Government standards. HR did not appear receptive to language that would increase funds available to low-income families, despite their wage proposals that ensure most members will continue to qualify as low-income.
Going forward, the caucus will continue to press HR at the bargaining table, but given that many parents are stretched thin, we will need the support of non-parent members to attend bargaining sessions and push for adequate subsidies and transparent administration. Email hanahsti@umich.edu and denise@geo3550.org if you are able to help out.
Parental Leave
GEO has made three proposals for making parental leave more accessible. HR rejected the first wholesale, made minor concessions after the second, and received the third proposal on Monday 3/13. The current contract provides birthing parents with three paid weeks of leave and non-birthing parents with three unpaid weeks. In addition, all new parents can extend their leave to six weeks by burning all of their annual sick leave balance. OB/Gyn specialists at the UM Hospitals — as well as researchers on child wellbeing, pair bonding, and parenting — recommend at least twelve weeks of leave following a new child event.
In their most recent counter, HR proposed allowing birthing parents an additional two weeks of paid leave “if medically necessary.” No extensions were given for non-birthing parents. We countered this proposal with one that would provide eight weeks paid leave to all new parents following a new child event, with up to eight more paid weeks (sixteen total) in cases of medical necessity. This was a significant concession from our previous proposals, which provided new parents with a flexible bank of paid time off to be used within twelve months of the new child event.
Going forward, the caucus will continue to demand at the bargaining table that UM provide new parents with adequate paid time off so they can return to work without jeopardizing the wellbeing of their children. Given that this issue affects future parents, we will need the support of non-parent members to attend bargaining sessions and push for adequate leave. Email ncaverly@gmail.com and denise@geo3550.org if you are able to help out.
International Caucus Issues/Hours caps
ELI Insurance
The University has offered a $10/day increase in the per diem IGSIs receive when they arrive in August for the required ELI training. This covers the cost of insurance for that month.
Hours caps
The University offered language that would have created an hours cap of 20 hours per week for a .5 FTE, but their language limited that protection to IGSIs, creating a two-tiered system in which IGSIs receive hours protections that are not extended to all of our members. The IGSI caucus has concluded that this language is unacceptable, since it would increase the likelihood that IGSIs would be discriminated against in the hiring process (if a position typically required more than 20 hours of work per week, for instance). GEO is also not interested in accepting any language that creates a multi-tiered system in our contract. The IGSI caucus maintains that the only solution for this issue is a 20 hour per week hour cap for all GSIs, with the ability to preemptively adjust a fraction if the work is likely to exceed that cap. The caucus is asking members to endorse that bottom line.
DEI GSSA Committee’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion GSSA proposal
The DEI GSSA committee has put together an FAQ about its proposal to create DEI Graduate Student Staff Assistant roles in every school unit. Questions here were generated in dialogue with Administrators, the Vice Provosts, and other students groups. We want members to understand our perspective regarding these various points of concern and resistance. Please note this FAQ is a draft. We will be adding new questions as they come up. We will post the most updated version on the facebook event page titled: Diversity Labor at UM is Not Free / Petition for DEI GSSAs Now!
| UM’s perspective / Admin misperception | Our coalition’s perspective |
| Is GEO proposing an entirely separate DEI initiative outside of the University’s existing strategic plans? | No. We are explicitly talking about existing strategic plans. |
| These positions are being created out of thin air. We are inventing a position out of nowhere. | These DEI GSSA positions already exist in some units. Several units are trying to hire students. What we are pushing for is to set a floor and ensure that every unit has a base level of infrastructure and student involvement. |
| The DEI GSSAs would report to GEO. | They would not report to GEO, they would work with the DEI unit leads. GEO would simply provide them union representation, as with all other GSSAs and GSIs. |
| This would snowball into requiring the University to compensate/unionize virtually anyone doing DEI. | Tasks are specific to implementing the unit’s strategic plan. The DEI GSSA Committee is working w/ coalitional partners and administrators to think through what exactly implementation would look like. We encourage dialogue around this, as we are interested in the positions being effective. |
| Students should not carry the burden of doing DEI labor. Faculty and staff should be the people carrying out these plans. Because DEI activities do not contribute to students’ academic or professional development, students should not be hired to support the implementation of DEI plans. |
Students must be involved in a greater capacity than simply town halls. They need to be involved in the actual implementation of DEI plans, so that students have a seat at the table during decision-making. Students have unique and valuable expertise, above and beyond what faculty and staff have. DEI leadership is an important aspect of professional development, as employers are increasingly seeking to hire job candidates with experience in these domains. |
| DEI work is not relevant to academic or professional development, and that’s why students should not be focusing on it outside of their existing academic workload. | DEI is important to professional development. Many employers and grant agencies now ask students to describe their leadership and involvement in DEI initiatives. DEI work should be on CVs and resumes. DEI is academic, professional, and legitimate work. |
| Existing mechanisms for accountability are sufficient. DEI faculty and staff should be trusted to make the right decisions. | Some faculty are competent in this work and others are less so; same with students. Our intent is to make the entire system more trustworthy and reliable by ensuring student perspectives are integrated into the implementation process. The GSSA positions provide both labor and an accountability structure that increases the trustworthiness of the entire process, independent of the particular employees involved. |
| Why not hire students as temporary workers to do a specific DEI activity and pay them at an hourly rate? | Unionizing the positions ensures fair compensation and gives them access to the GEO grievance process, which provides legal protection against discrimination and retaliation, and recourse for action. It also makes it difficult for funding for such positions to be changed without notice. Hiring students strictly as temporary workers strips students of agency. Students should be involved in implementing plans if they are to be responsive to student needs, and this proposal ensures a minimum level of participation by students. Creation of a GSSA position, ie- a position with benefits, sends the message that DEI work is valuable. |
| Students’ role is to receive services, not provide them. It is not their responsibility to do DEI work. | Students are already providing DEI labor, within the DEI strategic plan and outside of it. At a minimum, the student DEI work conducted within the framework of the unit plan’s should be recognized, valued and formalized. |
| The University already provides space for student feedback in the form of town halls, advisory committees, etc. | The petition and the statement in the Michigan Daily are also a source of student feedback. Students have voiced there that they want to have officially recognized roles within the DEI implementation infrastructure, and for these roles to be compensated. By hiring DEI GSSAs to help implement plans, this helps to more fully integrate student voices into strategic planning at a level equal to that of faculty and staff. |
To date over 41 campus organizations have signed onto the statement the DEI GSSA coalition released in the Michigan Daily on Monday March 6th (also available on the facebook page) where we called on the university to create these positions. We will be holding a strategizing meeting with coalitional partners Fridays at 10am in the GEO Office (339 E. Liberty Ave, Suite 340.) If you are interested in joining this discussion email jamietam@umich.edu.
Reports
By the numbers
| Total GSIs/GSSAs in our bargaining unit | 1776 |
| Membership (as of 3/15/2017) | 77.3% (GEO record!) |
| Percentage of GSIs/GSSAs in a stewarded department | 75% |
|
82.03% |
|
62.27% |
Rally Report
150 strong in a snow storm ain’t bad! And we got a little press coverage. A report was published in the Michigan Daily on Monday March 13th titled, “Graduate student employees rally for changes in contract with the university.”
And from the AFT-Michigan President’s Weekly Report:
UM GEO Rallies for a Fair Contract
March 13, 2017
On Monday March 13th, about 150 members and supporters of GEO gathered in a blizzard on the Diag on the U of M campus to put pressure on the university to make more progress in bargaining. GEO has been bargaining since November and has put forth an ambitious member-generated platform meant largely to improve the accessibility and equity of graduate labor at UM. Key elements of the GEO platform include a raise (the average member currently makes 20% below the cost of living in Ann Arbor), copay caps on recurring payments, childcare subsidy improvement, hard hours caps to decrease work hour fluctuations and protect visa holders, and the creation of 23 paid, unionized positions for graduate students to implement the university’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative strategic plans. The university has made very little movement toward any of these proposals.
GEO members heard brief speeches from President John Ware and organizing committee member Rachel Miller about the opportunity before the university to improve graduate work life in ways graduate workers themselves specified. Miller emphasized that all of the proposals were worth it, and that if the university really believed in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion they would put their money where their mouth is. The group then marched to the bargaining room and lined the hallways outside the bargaining room, holding signs saying “unaffordable = inaccessible.” Members and community allies demonstrated that they were paying attention to negotiations, and that they were willing to show up regardless of the cold and snow.”
Upcoming Events
General Membership Meeting: Friday March 24th, 3-4:30pm in the 1020 Auditorium in School of Public Health Building II. We’ve scheduled this meeting to start talking, in earnest, about the end of the term and the stakes involved in future potential collective actions. There are a lot of moving parts to this discussion and the more input we have the better.
General Membership Meeting: Friday March 31st, 7-8:30pm at the Neutral Zone (310 E. Washington St. Ann Arbor.) We will be utilizing a new and improved sign-in system at this GMM.
THERE WILL ALSO BE A PARTY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THIS GMM @ The Neutral Zone. Woooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
Reminders
GEO Stories
Share your stories! Submit them to the GEO Stories facebook event page, or speak at the table about how a particular proposal will personally improve your work life! Contact: lockwoodmiller@gmail.com
Social Media Blast
Improving our social media presence helps info get to more people, so take a moment to check in to the GMM, tweet #geocontract, invite friends to like our page!
Admin Info Campaign
This week we are sending as many postcards as possible to the Interim Provost Paul Courant, urging him to support our efforts in bargaining. Please fill out your postcard before you leave tonight and hand it in to Jean. You can also send them on your own for free through campus mail.
Show Up to Bargaining!
Attend as many Bargaining Sessions as you can! Between now and the end of the month bargaining sessions will be from 2:15-5:00pm Mondays and Wednesdays at Palmer Commons Great Lakes Room, North. Observers make a difference in the tenor of the conversation! And as we near the end of the term and pressure builds, it makes a huge difference to the Team for members to be there supporting them. Remember too that caucuses occur during these sessions, and provide members yet another space to give feedback and contribute to decision-making.
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