On Thursday, 11/20, 200 GEO members gathered in the Chemistry building to assess the University’s response to our demands.
David Dobbie and Holly Burmeister presided over the meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, the two described the grievance hearing of earlier that morning as “unusual.” A typical hearing consists of each side stating its position, with little further discussion, and usually followed 30 days later by a request for arbitration.
In this hearing, the University’s representation requested further meetings to attempt to negotiate a mutually agreeable settlement, going so far as to offer to have the negotiation on central campus (an unprecedented accomodation in favor of GEO). He also requested that, as a statement of good faith, GEO not take a strike vote.
The membership discussed this proposal for about 90 minutes, before taking a vote authorizing:
1) recognition of the role that the organizing effort of the members of GEO played in bringing the University to the table
2) provisionally accepting the University’s offer to negotiate a settlement on Monday morning
3) scheduling an additional membership meeting on Tuesday, 11/25 at 7 p.m. to reassess the University’s proposal and to take a ratification vote. At that meeting any further decisions could be made by the membership in response to the University’s offer.
Minutes of this meeting, including some of the Q&A session will be posted soon on this site.
Comments are closed