The Day Bargaining Team met with management on August 20th over zoom and ended the session with agreed-upon ground rules with some important wins through this process. Here are some key takeaways and observations:
Management started the ground rules negotiations making it clear that they believed all bargaining should take place in person, with no zoom or hybrid options for bargaining.
Thanks to the terrific participation of our silent representatives, and the ability of our team to push our arguments at the table forcefully and nimbly, we were able to get them to move from their original position in two key ways:
First, we won an agreement for virtual sessions: For every three negotiation sessions, two will be on Zoom and one will be in person. The in-person sessions will rotate among campuses, ensuring that the long commutes to and from bargaining will be rotated as well. This also means that each campus will have an opportunity to participate in in-person bargaining.
Second, we forced Management to concede that a hybrid option for in-person sessions should be available as an ADA accommodation. Initially, Management insisted that under no circumstances would any members be allowed to participate remotely, even if that was the only means by which they could do so!
As a team we pushed hard to have a hybrid option for all in-person sessions, as this would have removed barriers to participation for many, if not all, of our members needing accommodation and eliminated the administrative hassle of seeking an ADA accommodation. Instead, Management maintained its opposition to hybrid sessions and insisted on enforcing existing accommodation policies, which place the burden on individuals to overcome barriers to access. The process requires members to disclose their need to their home campus, provide medical documentation, and risk rejection. In this case, the process is further complicated by the involvement of the host campus as well.
Management insisted this process would be efficient and quick, demonstrating that they are out of touch with the reality of our campuses. Those of us on the team who have gone through the accommodations process have deep concerns. Still, it is a victory that Management agreed to allow our members to participate in in-person bargaining remotely through the ADA process.
Yet again, we see management’s superficial concern for equity, diversity, and justice. We on the bargaining team know how demoralizing, frustrating, humiliating, and slow the ADA processes on our campuses can be. As faculty and librarians we are rightly called upon to accommodate students’ needs. Yet it takes management many hours of negotiations to get them to agree to the smallest accommodation for our members.
We’re eager to get to the work of negotiating a better contract, with real improvements to our members’ working lives and our students’ learning. You can sign up to be a silent rep here: https://forms.gle/tZg3E6iCuAstmWJS9
In solidarity,
The MSCA Day Bargaining Team
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