Bargaining Session: June 19, 2019

On June 19, 2019, representatives of the University attended the ninth bargaining session with the union committee that represents postdocs and ARSs.

At the beginning of the session, a postdoc who is not a member of the bargaining committee made a statement about their experiences of bullying and harassment in the lab in which they worked and their efforts to report their experiences. 

The union bargaining committee then presented an additional request for information and the revised Union-Management Committee proposal for tentative agreement per the parties’ discussion at the last session. The parties also discussed the previously presented proposals on Non-Discrimination and Harassment, including the relationship between the proposals and the framework agreement and whether a neutral arbitration process might be made available at the conclusion of the EOAA process.

The University presented a revised Travel proposal to address concerns previously raised by the union bargaining committee, and the parties discussed how they might reach tentative agreements on Travel, Workspace and Materials, and Training and Orientation.  The union bargaining committee then presented their revised proposals on Travel, Workspace and Materials, and Training and Orientation.

The union bargaining committee presented additional revisions to their proposals on Employment Files, Holidays, Vacation, and Leaves of Absence.  The parties discussed their positions on holidays, vacations, and leaves, and their previously presented proposals on Discipline and Discharge, in further detail. 

The union bargaining committee agreed to move forward on the creation of a joint health and safety working group.

The next meeting is scheduled for July 18, 2019.