Negotiations: Committee OKs contract proposals

UUP completed another phase of negotiations in late April, when the 35-member Negotiations Committee unanimously approved a package of bargaining proposals to be presented to the state.

The contract between UUP and New York state expires July 1, and no talks were scheduled as The Voice went to press.

The Negotiations Committee—which consists of one representative from each chapter, plus an at-large part-time professional and an at-large part-time academic—is constitutionally charged with formulating negotiations proposals for presentation to the UUP president.

Now that the committee has approved UUP’s proposals, the Negotiations Team— under the direction of UUP President Phil Smith—can proceed with contract talks.

The package of proposals approved at the April 29 joint meeting of the Negotiations Committee and Negotiations Team was developed in response to member input collected during UUP’s information-gathering phase that began last fall, and from Team meetings with UUP officers and NYSUT labor relations specialists assigned to UUP.

During the joint meeting, UUP Chief Negotiator Jamie Dangler stressed that “everything the Negotiations Committee identified as a priority is included in the conceptual language we’ve prepared for the state. We’ve covered all the bases.” UUP’s contract proposals will be made public following the formal exchange of packages with the state.

Dangler said the Team and Committee completed an exhaustive review of members’ suggestions and concerns regarding their terms and conditions of employment. The two groups worked together in January to prioritize the information gathered through Team visits to the chapters, a negotiations survey, member suggestion forms, and chapter and statewide committee reports.

“The individuals who have volunteered for the challenging task of defining UUP’s contract priorities have done an excellent job listening and responding to members’ concerns,” Smith said. “Our members can feel confident in their union negotiators, and in the fact that their issues form the foundation of our proposals.”

UUP’s proposals may be written and approved, but the Team won’t stop working until there’s a new collective bargaining agreement.

“The Team will continue with its prep work—gathering information and anecdotes, strategizing, and finding the best ways to illustrate the problems our members face on campus and in the workplace,” Dangler said.

How long that will take is anyone’s guess, but UUP has vowed not to negotiate in the press. UUP is closely monitoring contract talks with other state employee unions, some of whose contracts expired April 1. Members are reminded to watch the UUP? website—www.uupinfo.org—for updates. The second Negotiations Bulletin was posted in early May, and others will be issued when critical points are reached.

Members can also contact Dangler at contract@uupmail.org for further information or to submit questions and comments.

— Karen L. Mattison


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