Update on FSU Bargaining- Register For the May 1st Bargaining Session
4/24/24
Dear Member,
Here is the latest on the 24-27 FSU contract negotiations. Don’t forget to register to attend the May 1st bargaining session (see attached flyer for more information).
Where Are We Currently?
- FSU bargaining team has met with management twice (Feb. 26 & April 8). Both meetings were focused on concerns about modality/scheduling for this negotiations season. Unfortunately, despite the fact that both teams have submitted a set of substantive proposals, negotiations have been stuck talking about zoom instead of the important issues that matter to faculty and librarians.
What Is the Issue?
- At the center of our disagreement with management is whether bargaining should be completely in-person or whether there should be a zoom option for members of either team who cannot attend in-person.
- This disagreement already represents a compromise for the union. FSU originally requested that negotiations be conducted completely on zoom (for reasons of inclusion, transparency, scheduling, and convenience). We met with management and they explained why they believe in-person negotiations are beneficial. The union listened, took their concerns into account, and revised our position. From this we agreed to hold negotiations in-person, with one request - that core bargaining team members who have an occasional conflict (from either side), as well as silent bargaining representatives (who do not participate in the back-and-forth at the table), be able to attend via zoom. This would allow full team participation despite scheduling difficulties and still ensure a primarily in-person process management desires.
- Management has so far refused to accept this modest request for a zoom option.
Why Does This Matter?
- What management says: both teams agreed to ground rules in the last negotiation session that stated bargaining would take place “on campus” unless, via “mutual agreement,” the parties determined to meet on zoom.
- What FSU says: expanded bargaining is about building a democratic union that centers member voices and concerns. The refusal to allow a hybrid option necessarily excludes many members, either as part of our core team or as silent representatives. Faculty and librarians have diverse work schedules, significant life responsibilities (child/elder care), and often live far from campus (often due to affordability issues). Each of these make participating in in-person bargaining difficult. A hybrid option, which has already proven successful (we used this format in our first two bargaining sessions with no problems) allows for a much more inclusive and democratic union and a transparent negotiation process. FSU wants to ensure that all faculty and librarians can participate in bargaining well into the future.
What’s Next?
- If FSU is to continue our efforts to build a democratic and inclusive union, we need to fight for the opportunity for ALL our members to be able to participate in our work. This means asking management to allow Zoom in the Room.
- If you agree with this fight for a democratic union, please consider standing with your bargaining team and helping make our concerns known. You can:
- Write to our university leaders: Ask them to allow a hybrid option for bargaining. This compromise would allow the FSU to exercise its right to build an inclusive union and show management’s willingness to embrace the spirit of negotiations, a spirit the FSU bargaining team has already demonstrated in our engagement with management.
- Attend our next negotiation session: The next bargaining session is May 1, 1:00-2:30 pm. Please consider coming to show your support and provide your feedback to the core bargaining team. You can sign up to attend either in person or on zoom by emailing fsu.bargaining@umb.edu at least 48 hours in advance of the session. (No need to attend the whole time–come when you can and leave when you have to; see attached flyer for more information).
- Talk to your colleagues! Explain why this issue matters. Zoom in the room allows any faculty member or librarian to play a significant role in their union. It means that even those who do not have the time to fight traffic for an hour or more each way to get to campus and back home again, those who have to get a kid off the bus, those who may prefer to limit their exposure to indoor spaces, especially in places where there is no mask mandate, and those who may need technology support to participate, can all be part of the bargaining process.
Sincerely,
The FSU Core Bargaining Team
Caroline Coscia, Senior Lecturer II, Political Science
Katie D’Urso , MTA Field Representative
Ellen Frank, Senior Lecturer II, Economics
Keith Jones, Lecturer, Africana Studies
Maria Hegbloom, MTA Field Representative
Jessica Holden, Librarian IV, Healey Library
Lorenzo Nencioli, FSU Senior Staff Member
Jason Rodriquez, Associate Professor, Sociology
Heike Schotten, Professor, Political Science
Steve Striffler, Professor, Labor Studies
For information on the FSU, links to our contract and bargaining updates, and a calendar of events, see the FSU webpage