The October 3rd negotiations were slated to begin at 10:00am, but the University’s team started in caucus and did not enter the room until 10:22am. Regardless, it was really enjoyable to be in community with other UCPEA members in the Rainbow Center, where this session was held.
The session began with testimony from Sexual Assault Response Nurses in Student Health and Wellness. It was clear from their testimony how experienced, highly-trained, and caring these professionals are. They are APRNs who spend Saturdays on-call, ready to head to campus quickly if a student needs them. This has a very positive impact on students who have experienced trauma, because it allows them to receive care on-campus by one healthcare professional with specialized training, instead of going to a hospital in another town and seeing multiple staff who might not be familiar with college students.
UCPEA proposed language to increase the on-call pay for these nurses. UCPEA also pointed out that they are performing the duty of multiple staff in their role, which is a cost savings to the University in itself.
UCPEA then proposed language to protect the jobs of members when they and their families are encountering issues with their right to live or work in the U.S.A. This proposal is very relevant to our members’ lives given the recent nationwide ICE raids and attempts to restrict the human rights of people residing in this country. UCPEA also proposed language on doxxing, which is another societal issue that needs contractual protections.
While I’m really glad that UCPEA is being proactive by creating these proposals, it was frustrating to see the University use insensitive language around some of these topics and to not understand the point of them. This has happened with other proposals, for example our proposal on accessible parking decals. We (UCPEA) are trying to address real issues our members face and craft proposals based on principles of equity, but the University’s responses focus more on technicalities as they attempt to poke holes in our arguments.
Lastly, UCPEA proposed changes to the reclassification process that would help account for the increased workload we all encounter when there is a temporary vacancy. Many members are overworked and underpaid, and this would provide a concrete plan to ensure we don’t do extra work for free.
UCPEA stated that, with the exception of salary, we have made all of our substantive proposals. This is great news because it means we are one step closer to having a new contract. We expect the University to have made all of its substantive proposals soon.
The University proposed updates to the Sick Leave Bank. This is an article that the University and UCPEA have been going back and forth on, and it is good to see UCPEA trying to make improvements while pushing back on the draconian proposals made by the University.
The University left for caucus around 11:10am, and were expected to return in 20 minutes. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the University notified UCPEA that they did not have anything else to negotiate for the day. The rest of the time was spent in caucus and the negotiating team answered questions from the observers.
- Dan Lis