Bargaining Update/Contract Campaign 8/31/22

Dear Union Siblings:

We have another important update from the negotiating table. As detailed below, our team has decided to continue our discussions with Administration, begin a public campaign for a fair contract, and reserve our right to strike at any time if no agreement is reached.

Over the last few days, our team has been attending MERC mediation. It has not gone as we had hoped. We have not been trading proposals back and forth, as many of you may have thought. Instead, for large stretches of time we have heard nothing from Administration.  We have had scheduled meetings where no Administrator appeared. We have waited long into the night awaiting proposals that never came. With a contract deadline looming, it took over 48 hours for Administration’s negotiating team to respond to our economic proposals, with a counter that included only minor changes. And most importantly, we have submitted multiple requests for information that is essential to analyze their proposals and positions that have not been answered in a timely manner.

We believe that the Administration and its Negotiating Team is pursuing an intentional strategy of forcing our team to make rushed decisions based on incomplete information, in a crisis created by their own actions. We will not be playing along. 

At this time, after discussion amongst our whole team and in consultation with our attorneys, our team has decided to let the current contract expire and to work without a contract while discussions continue. Many of you may have questions about working without a contract. Under Michigan law, the employer must maintain “status quo,” meaning that for the time being all of the terms and conditions of our employment will continue as they have been without interruption while we continue our fight. For the immediate future, we will receive the same pay and benefits we have been receiving. However, we expect this contract to be resolved—one way or another—in short order.

We will be continuing our public campaign, which has been gaining momentum. We will be seeking support from the public, other unions, and our students. We will be sharing the experiences of our members with elected officials and the Board of Regents to bring attention to the Administration’s misguided labor relations strategy that has done nothing but cause needless conflict with its employees and damaged the University that we all love. We encourage all of you to contact the Governor, your state representatives and senators, as well as the Board of Regents to express your opinions on the Administration’s divisive and counterproductive strategies.

Today, we presented an updated offer to Administration. It is similar to the proposal that we sent you in a detailed update on Monday.  It includes some movement to Administration’s positions including accepting modest, reasonable increases in health-insurance premiums in years two and three of the contract, and reducing our proposed dental coverage amount. It also includes a proposal that Faculty pay for parking at the Administrator’s rate, and that those payments go into a fund to cover parking and transportation costs for low-income EMU students.

This Friday, we will be holding an informational picket at the home football game between EMU and Eastern Kentucky. We would like to have members at every gate passing out flyers to educate students and fans about our contract fight and the Administration’s actions. We will be sending information out shortly about this event.

We hope that these and other actions will spur the Administration to engage in collaborative discussion and information sharing with its Faculty representatives. We are willing to continue to meet with Administration to address the outstanding issues and discuss them in good faith, and we will do so as long as we believe an agreement can be reached. 

We are not calling for a strike vote—yet. However, if the Administration does not change its antagonistic approach at the table, our team will use every lever we have to resolve this matter. At each step along the way over the following days, our team will evaluate its options and if we believe that a work stoppage is in the best interests of our membership, we will not hesitate to call one at the appropriate time. We understand that the frustration with Administration has been building for many years, and that most of you are eager and willing to strike. We know that our union will stay strong. We are 100% retaining that ability and if Administration does not change its course in the coming days, we will do what we have to do. Stay tuned.

In Solidarity, 

EMU-AAUP Negotiating Team