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Negotiations '05
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2005/2006
Negotiation Updates:
Latest updates will be posted on ACSUM
home page. You can view the previous updates by scrolling down the page.
The most recent are listed first.
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Good morning ACSUM sisters and brothers,
I wanted to remind you that ACSUM, UMPSA, and AFUM have scheduled a large picket/solidarity rally of the UMS system office in Bangor on Monday, May 22nd starting at 11:30 am. This picket will target the UMS Board of Trustees which will be meeting in the system's office that day.
It is critical that we have a large turnout (over 200 people) for this rally if we want to increase pressure on the Board of Trustees to offer fair and just contracts. Given the current status of contract negotiations (UMS is still only offering a package that results in a net pay cut for most of us), we must increase the public pressure on the BOT. We will have plenty of media coverage and we know the BOT hates that!!
Here is the schedule for the day:
11:30 - everyone meet in Pickering Square for a rally
12:00 - 1:00 we march to the system's office and protest until 1:00 pm.
1:00 - 2:00: lunch/wait in BOT room for public meeting to begin
2:00 many of us will be speaking during the BOT meeting. We plan to fill the room with ACSUM, UMPSA, AFUM folks.
Event concludes when the public comments portion of BOT meeting ends.
Please plan to attend this important event. Isn't it worth using vacation time if it results in not having to pay 32%-35% more for insurance - more for parking fees - and getting a minimal raise that results in a net pay cut?
Like the protest at USM, this picket will be very peaceful and fun so certainly feel comfortable bringing friends and family.
Below is contact information for your campus. Several campuses, with the help of the MEA, have arranged bus transportation to the rally. Others will be carpooling, etc. Please let your chapter contact know if you plan to attend.
USM - Loraine Lowell 780-4270 loraine.lowell@maine.edu
LAC - Jim Bradley 753-6618 jbradley@usm.maine.edu
UMA - Augusta Tim Pinkham 621-3123 tpinkham@maine.edu
UMA - UCB Lisa Feldman 262-7900 lisa.feldman@maine.edu
UM - Larry Corbett 581-1683 larry.corbett@umit.maine.edu
UMF - Dina Goodwin-Short 778-7055 dina_kiernan@hotmail.com
UMPI - Cindy Heron 768-9541 heronc@polaris.umpi.maine.edu
Coop Extension - Larry Corbett 581-1683 larry.corbett@umit.maine.edu
UMFK - Tammy Connor 834-7530 tammy.connor@maine.edu
UMM - Jim Bradley 753-6618 jbradley@usm.maine.edu
Let's stand together and send a strong message to the BOT that we deserve fair and just compensation and we won't settle for less than that!
United we bargain, divided we beg!
Thank you
Jim
Jim Bradley
President, ACSUM
Update of April 19, 2006 Mediation Session
The ACSUM negotiation team met at the MEA office in Bangor on Wednesday, April 19, with the belief that a ‘dramatically reconfigured’ set of proposals would be forthcoming from UMS.
Instead the University continued to insist on big increases in the cost of health insurance. It also “increased” its previous offer of a 1.5% raise to 1.75% in the first year, with no raise for the second year.
UMS also distributed estimates of the cost of implementing ACSUM’s April 5, 2006 counter-offer. Unfortunately, this document contained errors in basic arithmetic and included proposals never made—or even contemplated by—ACSUM. Both the mathematical errors and the unexplained proposals inflated the estimated cost. The negotiating team was unanimous in rejecting both the costing out and the mystery proposals.
Discussion after discussion around compensation has been hamstrung as a result of the University’s questionable numbers. It didn’t take long for the mediator to clearly understand the level of frustration our team has reached as a result of the University’s apparent inability to get the numbers right.
Further, the University has shown little or no willingness to pass on the savings in the Anthem/BCBS insurance deal to employees. ACSUM negotiators have made it clear—fairness dictates that the savings must be passed on so that premiums do not increase. To date the University has shown absolutely no willingness to discuss proposed improvements to the contract like rolling sick time into retirement, tightening up the internal hire process, addressing the issue of out of title work, career advancement, release time for wellness activities, or early retirement opportunities.
ACSUM, AFUM, and PaTFA (adjunct faculty) are in mediation. The University has taken UMPSA to fact-finding. Bottom line: the University is unwilling to pay its employees fairly for the hard work we perform. Instead, it is willing to invest in a golden safety net for chancellors whose contracts may not have been renewed, or campus presidents who have been fired by one of those same chancellors. UMS doesn’t have a fiscal crisis—what it has is a distribution crisis, with top administrators getting richer on the backs of its employees. It’s time to invest in the people who actually do the work.
The next mediation session, originally scheduled for May 3, has been cancelled, to give UMS a chance to sharpen its math skills.
If you are not a dues-paying ACSUM member, now is the time to join and pay your way. You are part of the problem if you aren’t a dues paying member—the University is counting that as a vote in support of their compensation practices, whether it is beneficial to you and your co-workers or not. You are letting the University decide your wages, benefits and working conditions. You have no say if you do not join ACSUM. Add your voice!
If you are a dues-paying ACSUM member, please contact any one of us on the negotiations team with your questions, suggestions, and concerns. Show your support for your negotiations team. Get involved with your chapter boards. Be part of the next planned action.
United we bargain. Divided we beg. In solidarity for the greater good,
ACSUM Negotiations Team
UMPI unions, students picket meeting
from Staff Reports of the University Times
UMPI Student Newspaper
[republished with permission from the UTimes Advisor]
Shouts of “Hey Joe, where’s the dough?” rang through the air as about 35 to 40 faculty, staff and students picketed during the University of Maine System Board of Trustees meeting held on Monday, March 20 in the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Campus Center.
Protesters marched in a ring outside the Campus Center after being booted from the building, waving signs that read “UMS Administration Doesn’t Care” and System Office = Cadillac of Administration.”
Faculty members held the protest over labor issues with the University of Maine System and receiving strong support from students during the afternoon event, which was meant to disrupt the Board of Trustees’ lunch.
“It’s over fair pay and health care compensation which we feel the system if failing to offer us,” said Ray Rice, President of the Associated Faculties of the Universities of Maine System (AFUM)***.
System officials have stated that the system does not have the ability at this time to give more in terms of pay and health care.
Students who participated in the protest brought up the ADA compliance issue that has been raised here at UMPI.
Jenni-Lyn LaChance wore a sign on the back of her wheel-chair that read, “Equal Access for ALL Students!”
Faculty and staff came from as far as Fort Kent, Machias, and Orono to demonstrate. Nine to ten people spoke for three minutes each at the open forum during the Board of Trustees meeting.
Karen Barrett, Associate Professor of Rehabilitation, drove four and a half hours from Farmington to speak for her three minutes.
Her message to the Board of Trustees was to consider that a more positive image of the university system would attract more students.
Rice’s three minute time allotted speech to the board stated, “The brain drain of students may not be as damaging as some thought. But the brain drain from faculty and staff is just beginning and can only worsen unless fair and open equitable wages are brought about.”
Rice went on to say that without quality instructors, neither classroom nor online rosters would fill.
Though the demonstration was a peaceful one, there were times when it was tense. UMPI security officials removed LaChance’s sign from the back of her wheel-chair before they would allow her to enter the Campus Center.
Scott Brickman, Associate Professor of Music and Education at Fort Kent, was one of many people who took part in the protest, which began inside the Campus Center. He was physically grabbed and shoved by a man – who Brickman said refused to identify himself, but was later identified as Greg Daniels, UMPI’s coordinator of safety and security – in an attempt to make Brickman leave the Campus Center.
Officials told Brickman he couldn’t be in the building with a posterboard, citing the university’s security policy. They threatened him with arrest. Still amazed at what happened he said, “I’m a music teacher. Most of the time I play sing-alongs with kindergarten classes.”
Brickman said he and others asked repeatedly to see the mentioned security policy. Eventually, the policy, as well as an attorney, were provided to union representatives.
This policy, dated May 15, 2000, states, “…protests/demonstrations are prohibited within fifty (50) feet of any public entrance…”
When asked about the protest, Charlie Bonin, Vice President of Administration/Finance at UMPI said, “It was a clarification of policy and then once everyone understood, it was fine.”
Rice agreed. “The [UMPI] President was very cordial and understanding throughout the ordeal,” he said.
The presidents of the three unions, Universities of Maine Professional Staff Association (UMPSA), Associated COLT Staff of the Universities of Maine (ACSUM), and AFUM decided the three groups need to have more communication. Members of the other two unions have said they support the faculty’s stance on labor negotiations.
Rice said, “The three unions need to work closely because the system has played them against each other in the past.”
***Note: Ray Rice is President of UMPI-AFUM.
Negotiations Update April 5, 2006
On April 5, ACSUM and UMS met with the mediator at the MEA office in
Bangor. ACSUM presented a counter to the offer UMS presented at our
last mediation session. The UMS offer, as discussed in detail in our
last negotiation update, was completely unacceptable and resulted in
many ACSUM employees receiving a net pay cut. The counter that ACSUM
presented today, dealing with wages and healthcare, is fair and results
in actual raises for all ACSUM employees. ACSUM is standing firm in our
position that there be no changes in our healthcare plan or premiums.
UMS will review our offer and respond to it at our next mediation
session which is scheduled for April 19th.
In what may be a positive sign that some movement in negotiations is
possible, the mediator has scheduled additional sessions for May 3, May
17, and May 31. We must continue to put public pressure on the UMS.
The picket on the University of Southern Maine campus March 10 sent a
clear message that UMS employees are unhappy and that we are united in
our demands for a fair and just contract. The picket that followed at
UMPI reinforced that message. Stay tuned as ACSUM, along with our
sisters and brothers in UMPSA and AFUM, announce future calls-to-action.
If UMS didn't like our picket at USM, and the press coverage it
generated, they are really going to hate what we are planning next :-)
United we bargain, divided we beg!
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Hey Joe, Show us the Doe!
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What 1st Amendment?
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ACSUM, AFUM, UMPSA Hold Picket at UMPI!
Yesterday's picket was a success, but it still has the undertones of an embarrassment at a few UMPI Administrators because of how a couple of altercations were handled. Our event was not as smooth as at USM on the 10th.
On the positive side, we had an exceptional turn-out of about thirty- five to forty (35-40) people for this tiny campus. MEA, ACSUM, AFUM, UMPSA, and students attended. Also, we had campus representatives from UMFK, UMM, USM, UMF and, I believe, UMA, too. I did not have a chance to meet some of the folks.
The day was crisp and our voices surely did carry up to the Campus Center meeting rooms. Occasionally, someone would peek out from behind the blinds at us, so I know we were heard.
Ron Mosley, AFUM President, and I were interviewed by our local television station, WAGM, before our picket started and pictures were then taken outside while we picketed. The 6:00 PM Edition on March 20th and the AM News on March 21st gave the perspectives of the Chancellor and the union and the broadcast was quite fair to us.
The Public Comment Period began at 2:00 PM with nine speakers giving their speeches to the Chancellor, Trustees, UMS employees, and a large audience. I presented our Personal Economies II Paper giving a brief speech with UMPSA President/ MEA Representative, Nancy Fletcher, standing at my side in solidarity. The Chancellor began leafing through the paper, scanning data, immediately. Hopefully, it will make an impact for ACSUM.
Yes, yes..Now on to the gritty negative story of how the First Amendment can still be denied. As we were entering the Campus Center to warm up and to prepare for the Public Comment Period, a UMFK professor was confronted by our Security Officer and the CFO and told that we were not allowed to enter the building. The policy regarding this access law was demanded by the UMFK professor several times which led to the Security Officer putting his hand on the professor's chest and demanding he leave or the cops would be called. Much yelling continued involving many of the "suits" that were in attendance in a private closed-door meeting. When all was said and done, Ron Mosley, AFUM President, announced that "we could not go into the building with our large signs, but if an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper was written on as a sign then we probably would not get arrested". Also, the access policy was provided to us. Another incident involved one of our students in her wheelchair having her poster regarding "fair access for all students" ripped off of her wheelchair by our Security Officer as she entered the ladies room. She was so appalled! It put a negative spin on the whole mood from then on until the more formal meeting at 2:00 PM.
I was proud of the people who showed up in solidarity to help our plight. We did make a statement by actually being visible whether it was picketing outside or attending the meeting. As our Student President, Zach Smith, said during his speech, "I want you to know that these UMPI people are so conservative! They don't get angry, but you should take note of how unusual it is for them to picket. There is a problem here".
Let's keep up the good fight! United we bargain, divided we beg...
ACSUM, AFUM, UMPSA Hold Picket at USM!
[gallery]
ACSUM, along with faculty, professionals and students, held a large
picket at the Portland campus of the University of Southern Maine on
March 10th. Over 125 people attended the picket, held signs, and sent a
loud and clear message to Chancellor Westphal that UMS’ current
contract offers are unfair and unacceptable!
[gallery]
The day began with a rally on the steps of Payson Smith Hall. ACSUM
president Jim Bradley began the rally by clearly outlining ACSUM’s
positions regarding wages and healthcare. Following Bradley, others who
spoke were UMPSA president Kerry Sullivan, AFUM president Ron Mosley,
and MEA president Rob Walker.
After about fifteen minutes, the crowd marched to the Abromson
Center to picket while waiting for the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor
to arrive. When Westphal arrived, he chose to enter the Abromson Center
from the rear parking garage, rather than the main entrance where he
would have been met by the picketers. Although he didn’t have to walk
through us, he clearly saw the crowd.
[gallery]
The crowd then moved inside the building, filling the Abromson Center
lobby with chants of “Shame,” “We Want a Fair Contract Now,” etc.
Shortly thereafter the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and USM president
walked through the lobby to enter the auditorium and were greeted with
a large chorus of “boos.”
[gallery]
The Chancellor intended to speak about the status of the Strategic Plan
and future goals of the University. After a few minutes it became clear
that those in the audience, mostly our protesters, wanted to hear about
wages and healthcare. Forced to stray from his prepared comments, the
Chancellor struggled to answer questions and ended the discussion at
its scheduled time, even though many folks were still standing in line
to ask questions.
Without question, the picket at USM was an overwhelming
success and something that all three units, ACSUM, AFUM, UMPSA, should
take great pride in having been able to organize. All the University of
Maine campuses were represented and we received a considerable amount
of press coverage.
[gallery]
Thanks go to all of you who helped organize and/or attended this
solidarity picket. The work doesn’t stop here though. To keep up the
public pressure that this picket generated, all employees are asked to
display the “ Another University Employee Without A Contract” [pdf] sign in
their vehicles. ACSUM also has “ACSUM – For the greater good” pins
available and your local chapters will be distributing them to you
shortly. Please wear them while on the job!
To read or view media coverage of the picket, visit the
following links:
Please be
patient, these movies take time to download
Here is a link to WCSH 6 video of the picket:
http://www.wcsh6.com/newscenter/article.asp?id=32619
then click on "play video" under photo.
Here is a link to the Lewiston Sun Journal's coverage
http://www.sunjournal.com/news/maine/20060311130.php
Here is a link to the Portland Press Herald coverage
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060311westphal.shtml
WMTW TV News:
http://www.wmtw.com/news/7901676/detail.html
Here is a link to the Boston Globe
[Short
Link]
To view additional photos of picket: visit The Gallery
Negotiations Update
October 3, 2005
After nearly a year of bargaining with the University for a proposed two-year contract, the UMS team dropped the bombshell that it would have to negotiate a one-year contract, due to increased fuel costs. It offered a 1.5% across the board raise, step movements every other year, and the increases to healthcare costs already noted in an earlier report.
ACSUM’s team stated in no uncertain terms that the people we represent are painfully aware of increased fuel costs at every turn. The team also advised the UMS team that preliminary results from the latest personal economies survey supports the necessity for ACSUM’s compensation and health insurance proposals. Further, the team asked UMS representatives if they believed themselves to be acting in good faith.
Regardless of blunt discussion, ACSUM expressed a willingness to continue discussions. However, the University left the table to file for mediation, claiming the distance between its and ACSUM’s proposals was too great to bridge. The Maine Bureau of Labor will be assigning a mediator within the next few weeks.
As reported earlier, ACSUM is very much concerned that with the UMS move to centralization, some of our jobs will change dramatically. Consequently, job security is very much an issue. The University claims it is unable to confirm the number of positions that may be eliminated. However, the strategic plan indicates as many as 200 positions could be lost. While another 150 “new” positions could be created, the danger exists that ACSUM-represented members may not be considered qualified by UMS to perform the work entailed in any of these “new” positions.
When questioned by ACSUM, the University agreed to continue bargaining around impact issues that may arise as a result of the implementation of the strategic plan. ACSUM and the University are in the process of scheduling a time to continue the discussion of such issues.
If you are not a dues-paying ACSUM member, now is the time to join us, pay your way, and add your voice. If you are a dues-paying ACSUM member, please contact any one of us on the negotiations team with your questions, suggestions, and concerns. United we bargain. Divided we beg.
In unity for the greater good of all,
ACSUM Negotiations Team
September 13, 2005
Greetings, ACSUM members—
Much has happened in our country since ACSUM last posted a report on negotiations. We are certain that all eyes have been on the Gulf Coast and the terrible tragedy playing out across the land. We encourage you to do what you can for the dispossessed, whether volunteering at a soup kitchen in your home town or donating to a charity assisting those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
ACSUM and University representatives last met on August 31 on the UM campus, where the UMS hosted the session. On this date, both sides presented written proposals for wages. The University proposed a 1.2% raise, with step movement as currently defined. ACSUM presented its written proposal, which includes a 5% increase to base, step movement every year, and placement at max for those employees who haven’t reached max after 20 years of employment.
ACSUM advised the University that the results from its latest Personal Economies survey support the necessity of a 5% increase to base. ACSUM further stated that in these times of scarce resources, those who make the most should be part of the solution—and pointed to the fact that the cost of a 1% raise for the 1,000+ COLT workers equals a 1% raise for the highest paid administrators in the UMS.
Two more sessions were scheduled, the first for September 28th and the second for October 12th. ACSUM will host the next session, which is being held at the MEA office in Augusta.
If you are not a dues-paying ACSUM member, now is the time to join us, pay your way, and add your voice. If you are a dues-paying ACSUM member, please contact any one of us on the negotiations team with your questions, suggestions, and concerns. United we bargain. Divided we beg.
In unity for the greater good of all,
ACSUM Negotiations Team
Negotiations Update
August 10, 2005
ACSUM and
the University met on August 3 at the USM campus. In the spirit of getting
everything out on the table, ACSUM negotiators initiated this session
by presenting a number of proposals. The proposed language changes to
the current contract reflect member concerns as expressed in an earlier
survey, and include improvements to bereavement, layoff and recall rights,
internal hires—just to name a few.
Because the University has expressed general satisfaction with the
contract as it stands, ACSUM emphasized that a number of proposals continue
to come forward precisely because they are important to members.
The University caucused, and returned with a few questions to “better
understand the proposals.” The UMS team also dismissed out of
hand ACSUM’s proposal to allow retiring unit members to roll sick
time into TIAA-CREF because it would "cost millions and the University
has no interest in spending that kind of money.” Its team said
it would cost out the proposed differential pay and get back to ACSUM.
The University indicated in mid-April it would respond to ACSUM’s
proposal to help remedy some of the suffering unit members have felt
as a result of high temperatures and have not yet responded.
The UMS proposals once again discussed wage compensation and changes
in health care it deemed necessary, but did not present written proposals.
Another meeting has been scheduled for August 31.
A
list of language change proposals by ACSUM can be found by clicking
here. Note that words that have a strike-through are current words
we want to eliminate and words that are just bold (no strike-through)
are new language we are proposing. At the end of the page you will also
find a summary of the UMS proposals to date.
In unity for the greater good of all,
ACSUM Negotiations Team
Negotiations Update
July 22, 2005
ACSUM negotiators met with UMS
representatives on Tuesday, July 19 at the System Office. The UMS team
hosted this session.
At the July 15 session, the University’s team had indicated it
would have written proposals regarding compensation and healthcare benefits
ready to present at this session. However, no written proposals were
forthcoming. Instead, another “what if” session occurred—once
again with a different set of possibilities—as University negotiators
advanced several general explanations (some of them contradictory) of
what they had in mind for a wage package and tentative numbers on health
care increases. None of these would advance our unit’s economic
well-being.
ACSUM negotiators spent much of the session questioning the data on
employee wages and seniority provided by the University. More importantly,
ACSUM generated a serious discussion about whether or not the data being
provided is reliable, because University representatives have come to
the table over time with different salary base projections. Reliable
data is a prerequisite for bargaining over wage issues, otherwise costing
out proposals becomes nothing but a crap shoot.
Most University proposals have been minor and for the purpose of clarification
or “housekeeping.” That held true at this session when UMS
presented proposal changes for language in Article 4 (Information to
Unit Members) and revisited Article 7 (Evaluation) with a clarifying
change. Major exceptions have been proposed changes in the evaluation
process and a proposal to increase parking fees at the largest campuses,
increasing the fee to $50 a year at UM and a whopping $180 at USM.
ACSUM negotiators presented three proposals for changes in the contract.
The proposal to address inequities in internal hiring procedure (Article
23) is a substantive change and would broaden our rights and opportunities
as internal candidates. We also proposed changes in Article 26 (Tuition
Waiver) to include employees who are matriculated but not attending
full-time. Finally, we presented a proposal for a career advancement
system for employees who have reached “max.”
“Time is money—money is time” is the University’s
mantra. Perhaps they were trying to be cost-effective by multi-tasking,
because in tandem with our meeting the University was also talking with
the Teamsters. But we all know that multi-tasking in the end leads to
mistakes and increased costs. In this case, it also signals the University’s
contempt for the bargaining process.
Another meeting is scheduled on August 3rd at USM. ACSUM will host
this session.
If you are not a dues-paying ACSUM member, now is the time to join
us, pay your way, and add your voice. If you are a dues-paying ACSUM
member, please contact any one of us on the negotiations team with your
questions, suggestions, and concerns. United we bargain. Divided we
beg.
In unity for the greater good of all,
ACSUM Negotiations Team
Negotiations Update
July 17, 2005
The ACSUM negotiations team met with UMS representatives
on Friday, July 15. The meeting was hosted by ACSUM and held at the
UM campus. Dr. Allen Berger, Chair of the UMS THESIS Committee, was
there to present an overview of the THESIS Project and to field questions
from ACSUM's negotiators.
Just a week before this session, ACSUM finally received
a copy of the THESIS Interim Report, which had been requested in mid-June.
Although the team had limited time to review the report, its members
came to the meeting with a thorough understanding of the document. ACSUM
will be involved in bargaining over impact issues created by any changes
the THESIS Project causes in our unit, and had seen this session as
an opportunity to get our minds around the project.
Dr. Berger indicated that campus Presidents are committed
to “one stop” information desks for registration, loan processing and
other financial functions, but seemed to indicate that admissions offices
would be separate and distinct from the so called “one stops.”
Dr. Berger contradicted earlier information, provided
by UMS during the May 11 th negotiations session, that the central location
for “back office work” would be in Bangor or Augusta . According to
Dr. Berger, no location has yet been chosen for the centralized office.
He also stated that the THESIS Committee has concluded that further
planning is needed for the implementation of the campus one stop centers.
Apparently, that planning process is scheduled to last through the 2005-2006
academic year. Berger also stated that UMS did not know how many COLT
positions would be lost. (Click
here to view proposed staffing levels in interim report.)
During the course of the discussion, however, it became
apparent that ACSUM negotiators were working from a different document
than the one being referred to by UMS administrators. When it was determined
that ACSUM had only been provided with one of the two documents that
make up the THESIS Interim Report, the team made it clear that the purpose
of the discussion had been badly undercut.
However, Dr. Berger left with a clear understanding
that ACSUM has serious concerns about the project. J ob security
is very much an issue. Beyond our concerns about the impact that the
project will have on current COLT employees and the bargaining unit,
ACSUM negotiators made it clear we are also concerned about the impact
this project will have on the delivery of education and services to
students.
In the afternoon, the discussion moved from issues
with implications for impact bargaining to a discussion about compensation
and healthcare. As you recall, during the June 14 session, University
representatives presented a second version of the System's wage and
healthcare proposals, which did not substantively differ from their
previous proposal. ACSUM requested bargaining unit data in order to
cost out wage and healthcare so that we could prepare counter proposals.
Because the data request made by ACSUM did not arrive in a timely fashion,
we could not prepare our counter-proposals. (Please read STONEWALLING
or Dealing with Negotiations University Style .)
However, the University floated yet another trial balloon
regarding a compensation and healthcare package. ACSUM negotiators indicated
that we wanted to see a written proposal.
The bargaining process is building in intensity. If
you are not a dues-paying ACSUM member, now is the time to join us,
pay your way, and add your voice. If you are a dues-paying ACSUM member,
please contact any one of us on the negotiations team with your questions,
suggestions, and concerns. United we bargain. Divided we beg.
In unity for the greater good of all,
ACSUM Negotiations Team
Negotiations
Update June 10, 2005
Today, June 10, your ACSUM negotiations team met at the UMA campus,
prepared to continue negotiations at 11 am with University management.
We had invited dues-paying members to sit in and observe the session.
Membership involvement is crucial to successful negotiations.
University management, however, refused to even enter the room and
negotiate until the invited members were removed, claiming that negotiation
sessions are “private.”
ACSUM members chose to stand together. As a result, University management
chose not to negotiate.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 13, hosted at the Systems
Office in Bangor.
Your ACSUM negotiators are committed to keeping our membership involved
and the lines of communication open. Talk to team members; talk to each
other!
Negotiations Update May 24, 2005
Your negotiations team met with UMS management in Bangor on Wednesday,
May 11, 2005. UMS did not make any firm compensation proposals, but
did discuss plans for a future reevaluation of the job classification
system. ACSUM provided its own insight into this process, and made recommendations
for how to best proceed. In addition, ACSUM also proposed a revised
salary schedule (step system).
The most important result from this meeting was information about the
work of the THESIS Committee (strategic direction 5 of the UMS Strategic
Plan), charged with assessing centralization or regionalization of administrative
services. We understand that individual THESIS committee members have
been under a gag order during their discussions, so the nature of input
is not available—only the finished product.
Indeed, in our May 11 negotiations session, University management finally
indicated that—if plans for centralization proceed—such
an office would be located in either Bangor or Augusta. In this central
location, “back office work” (a term coined by UMS) would
be done. This work is currently done by employees in Admissions, Registration
and Student Records, Financial Aid, Loan Processing and Receivable Management,
and the Bursar’s Office.
If these administrative functions are centralized, some of our jobs
will change dramatically. Thus, job security is very much an issue.
While the numbers have not been confirmed, ACSUM understands that as
many as 300 positions could be eliminated as a result of this move to
centralization, though we do not know how many of those positions are
ACSUM-represented. While another 150 “new” positions could
be created, the danger exists that ACSUM members may not be considered
“qualified” to perform such work.
ACSUM will be involved in bargaining over impact issues created by
any changes the THESIS Project causes in our unit. We have included
a document of pertinent pages from the first THESIS report that describes
the centralization possibilities. When you review the document, notice
that proposed centralized functions appear on the bottom half of each
page—these are functions (jobs) that will be reallocated away
from campuses to the central location.
Another important note is that UMS is now backing off its claim that
centralization will save money.
The bargaining process is about to become more intense on many fronts.
If you are a dues-paying ACSUM member, please contact any one of us
on the negotiations team with your questions, suggestions, and concerns.
If you are not a dues-paying ACSUM member, now is the time to join us,
pay your way, and add your voice and strength For the Greater Good of
All!
Further negotiation sessions are scheduled for May 26, June 2, June
10, and June 13.
To view the pertinent pages of THESIS, Click Here.
United we bargain. Divided we beg,
Your Negotiations Team
Negotiations
Update for May 4, 2005
ACSUM and University Administration met on Friday, April 29 and will
meet again on May 11. Both sides have presented their list of issues
to be addressed in our current round of negotiations. To view the issues,
click below. The first 6 pages are ACSUM's identified issues. The last
2 pages are issues identified by UMS Administration.
View
Detailed List of Negotiation Issues.
Negotiations
Update - April 21, 2005
ACSUM met with University representatives twice last week. The University
was represented by Frank Gerry (UMS Director of Labor Relations), David
Lane (UMA/USM), Mary Hawkins (USM), and Michelle Wood (UM).
The meeting at the MEA office in Augusta on Thursday, April 14, marked
the first negotiation session since we negotiated ground rules on March
31.
The day consisted of a coordinated exchange of articles under consideration
by ACSUM and the University, in accordance with the ground rules. The
exchange was cordial and informative. ACSUM was prepared with written
documents of our proposals, including substantiating statements. The
University opted for a verbal presentation; at the conclusion of the
session ACSUM was provided with a partial list of the articles UMS has
under consideration. ACSUM requested a written summary of the University’s
proposals and position statements by the next day at 9:00 am.
ACSUM met with the University the next morning at the System Office
in Bangor. The University provided us with the summary, as requested.
The negotiations session began at 10:00 am. There was little agreement,
and philosophical differences between ACSUM and the University began
to emerge. The University abandoned cordiality, making it clear that
it is not prepared to discuss any matters relating to compensation,
in any form. Their mantra became, “Time is money, money is time.”
The University hinted that our health care is too expensive, given that
Anthem increases costs at 15% per year.
ACSUM also learned that, when its request for allocation of state funds
is made, the University does not have a specific line item in its budget
dedicated to employee compensation. For an institution that claims to
recognize its employees as its most valuable asset, one might think
that compensating them fairly would be front and center when securing
funds. The University receives $187,000,000 from the State per annum
for the next biennium.
Because the University did not provide any financial framework, ACSUM
felt limited in what could be usefully discussed at this session. The
University did not elaborate on any of its proposals at the second meeting.
Each of ACSUM’s non-financial proposals was presented in more
detail; but as of this report, no tentative agreements have been reached.
We will meet with the University again on April 29, with ACSUM hosting
the session in Augusta.
In unity,
Negotiations
Update - March 6, 2005
Greetings ACSUM members,
Negotiations were scheduled to begin Thursday, March 31. Unfortunately
our session was canceled by the university early in that week due to
illness. We have rescheduled our initial negotiations session for April
14 in Augusta at the MEA, then we have a session scheduled for April
15 in Bangor as well.
This year ACSUM and the University have agreed to alternately host
the negotiation sessions at mutually agreeable meeting
places. This is a cost and time saving measure for many of your team
members, all of whom travel some distance to participate in negotiations.
As a rule, negotiations updates will be posted on the ACSUM website
www.acsum.org following every session, and the posting will be announced
on the ACSUM listserv; the listserv provides information to members
only.
Your negotiations team has worked very hard in crafting this year's
proposal. Using the information that was provided on the bargaining
surveys which were conducted on each campus earlier this year, we feel
we have a proposal which honors the needs and principles of each of
the 7 campuses as well as our constituencies at UCB, SWS and Cooperative
Extension. Please believe that your information as you presented it
on the surveys is the foundation upon which we have crafted this year's
proposal, and have established a standard by which your team will negotiate
for all of our members.
Stay tuned for updates and for opportunities to support your team as
we begin this process.
United we bargain, divided we beg.
Your 2005 Negotiations Team
Negotiations Update -
Feb. 24, 2005
Your ACSUM Negotiations Team has been meeting over the past several
months in preparation for our current round of contract negotiations.
These preparations have included three Saturday meetings; attendance
at the fall MEA leadership and collective bargaining training; a review
of issues of importance to members as indicated through campus pre-negotiation
surveys; and a great deal of individual work, looking at specific contract
language options.
The opening session of full negotiations between ACSUM and University
management was held on the Orono campus on February 18. In an effort
to initiate a productive and equitable negotiations process, ACSUM proposed
ground rules that were initially met with stiff resistance by University
management. After 3 ½ hours of steadfast resolve on ACSUM’s
part, agreement was reached on reasonable ground rules by which both
parties can negotiate with respect and fairness.
Several negotiations sessions have been scheduled for the upcoming
months, and ACSUM will report out in as timely a manner as possible
after the following meetings with University management: March 31, April
15, and April 29. Your negotiations team will meet several more times
in preparation for these sessions. This collective bargaining process
will result in a contract proposal that ACSUM members will have the
opportunity to review and, if it meets with their approval, ratify.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Your ACSUM Negotiations Team
Your 2005 Negotiations Team is:
Janine Bonk, Farmington, Chief Negotiator jbonk@maine.edu
John Bracciodieta, Maine Education Association jbracciodieta@nea.org
Kathleen Brown, Orono kathleen_brown@umit.maine.edu
Lisa Feldman, University College, Bangor lisa.feldman@maine.edu
Dina Kiernan, Farmington dkiernan@maine.edu
Rosanna Libby, Orono rosanna.libby@umit.maine.edu
Jim Bradley, USM jbradley@usm.maine.edu
Tim Pinkham, UMA tpinkham@maine.edu
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