Labor Relations

Negotiations Recap for April 12, 2013

This recap details the 15th bargaining session between the UW and AFT.

UW Counter-Proposals

Leaves of Absence
UW proposed various language changes, including clarification that sick leave may only be taken in whole-day increments. UW declined AFT’s proposal to add a paid personal day off per quarter for extension lecturers.
Job Descriptions/Workload
UW proposed limiting class size to 19 students, except when an extension lecturer and IELP management jointly agree to more. UW declined AFT’s proposal to require IELP management to seek union approval before setting the dates of new programs, and instead proposed to notify the union of the dates in advance.
Outsourcing
UW proposed language to memorialize that on matters of outsourcing or contracting out, the parties would follow applicable state law.

Tentative Agreement

Outsourcing
The parties tentatively agreed to omit any provision pertaining to outsourcing.

Further Dialogue

Status of Negotiations

AFT remarked over amount of time that it has taken to negotiate this initial contract.

UW acknowledged that both sides have progressed carefully and thoughtfully, due to the complexity of negotiating a new contract and the uniqueness of this bargaining unit.

Compensation

In response to AFT’s initial compensation proposal, put forth at the previous bargaining session, UW floated some potential compromises.

UW discussed paying extension lecturers for one additional pay period during summer quarter, which would equate to a 4 percent increase in overall pay for the year. IELP would ask in return that lecturers remain accessible by phone or email for one week following the end of each quarter, to allow for IELP management to follow up on any urgent matters such as grade issues or student inquiries.

UW also discussed raising base wages and addressing any compression issues, while gaining greater flexibility in setting starting salaries. UW explained how hiring all lecturers in at a standard rate hinders IELP’s competitiveness in the market, and how hiring lecturers in at a rate reflective of their past experience would greatly benefit IELP’s ability to recruit and retain.

AFT expressed interest in further discussing these potential compromises raised by UW.

Additional Items

AFT distributed several counter-proposals at the end of the bargaining session, to be discussed at the next meeting.

Next Steps

The next UW/AFT bargaining session is scheduled for April 26.