Bargaining Session: August 15, 2019

On August 15, 2019, representatives of the University attended the fourteenth bargaining session with the union committee that represents post-docs and ARSs.

At the beginning of the session, the University reiterated its position that it had presented a comprehensive package of proposals covering the necessary elements of a new collective bargaining agreement many sessions earlier and had no further proposals to present. The University further stated that because the Union had not yet presented its complete package, including economic proposals the Union had repeatedly indicated would be forthcoming, it was not possible to have further meaningful dialogue on key issues like leaves or to make substantial progress toward reaching a final contract.

The parties continued their discussion of Employment Files and the union committee’s previous revision of their proposal to add a requirement that the University provide each employee with a copy of their file 30 days prior to the end of their appointment. The University took the position that such revision was unnecessary because the parties were in agreement that the contract would provide an employee the right to request their file and the employee would be free to do so at that time. The union committee explained that the requirement was meant to ensure that an employee have a record of the contents of their file at the time they left the University in order to protect against additions made by PIs intended to damage their employment prospects elsewhere. The University explained that employment files are maintained only for internal use and the contents kept confidential absent a legal obligation or consent from the employee to disclose, and that, as a result, the provision would create an unnecessary administrative burden that would not address the Union’s underlying concern. No tentative agreement was reached.

The University outlined further how a proposal on Discipline and Dismissal might be drafted to allow an employee to elect either the existing procedures for Officers of Research that apply to complaints regarding disciplinary action and dismissal or opt for grievance and arbitration procedures under the collective bargaining agreement. The parties agreed to continue to consider the issues.

The parties also briefly discussed again the differences in their Recognition proposals. The bargaining session concluded early when the tenor of the union committee’s statements against the University precluded further productive conversation.

The next meeting is scheduled for September 5, 2019.