More than 150 Lecturers’ Employee Organization union members and supporters filled the Great Lakes Room of Palmer Commons Friday morning for an open bargaining session with the University of Michigan administration. The bargaining session was organized after the University made a counterproposal to salary demands made by LEO.
LEO began negotiations for an updated contract in October, demanding higher salaries across the Ann Arbor, Flint and Dearborn campuses, better working conditions, increased professional development funds and course load reductions.
U-M Dearborn lecturer P.F. Potvin, who was at the bargaining table Friday, spoke to The Michigan Daily about the main topics discussed during Friday’s negotiation, including child care support and wage increases equal to the rise of inflation.
“Today we were returning a salary proposal,” Potvin said. “What we’re striving for in this contract is fair and equitable wages that can fight inflation, (which has) hit everyone on all of these campuses. All of our LEOs have had challenges with that coming out of COVID. And yet, we need livable wages. And today, we were also passing a proposal related to child care and how important that is with the rising costs of child care.”
LEO issued a strike pledge after a meeting with the University on March 29. The pledge, once it has received enough votes for the Union Council to deem it requires action, would be followed by a strike authorization vote. The authorization vote, sent to the council, allows lecturers to authorize a strike if they believe it is necessary. Potvin said the union is prepared to make the step towards a full strike, but it will depend on any progress made in future negotiations with the University.
“I mean, we’ll just have to wait and see,” Potvin said. “It’s something that we’re obviously prepared to do, but again, we’re not asking for extraordinary things and extraordinary measures. We’re asking for a fair share so that we can make a living.”
In an email sent to The Michigan Daily by University spokesperson Colleen Mastony in January, negotiations between LEO and the University have been positive, and the administration looks to establish a contract that fulfills both parties’ interests.
“Lecturers play a critical role in advancing the academic mission of all three university campuses,” Mastony wrote. “The negotiations have been positive and productive, and we look forward to continuing to work together toward a strong, fair and forward-looking contract that satisfies both parties’ interests.”
Melanie Manos, Janie Paul collegiate lecturer and a LEO member, spoke with The Daily after the bargaining session. She said lecturers are not provided the same opportunities as tenured professors, such as sabbatical leave.
“We don’t have a sabbatical opportunity with any kind of pay,” Manos said. “There’s none of those cushions, those cushy kinds of things, that the other faculty get. We’re just trying to ask for a decent wage.”
Rackham student Nathan Kim, who supported LEO at the bargaining session Friday, is a member of the Graduate Employees’ Organization, which went on strike March 2023 and accepted a new contract offer last August. In an interview with The Daily after the bargaining session, Kim said he hoped the open display of support for LEO seen at the bargaining session will push LEO to continue negotiating with University administration.
“I think today’s style of open bargaining, the fact that we were able to pack the room, that we have support from many different unions, I think is a powerful demonstration of support,” Kim said. “I hope that can drive LEO to negotiate harder, win back higher salary, pay parity and protections for workers across all three campuses.”
Following the bargaining session, LEO union members and supporters marched from Palmer Commons to the Alexander G. Ruthven Building chanting, “What do we want? A fair contract,” and, “We got the power: union power.” They returned to Palmer Commons after the march.
In an interview with The Daily after the bargaining session, Art & Design senior Kaitlyn Onela said she attended because she wanted to express her support for lecturers.
“I think it’s important for lecturers to be able to be paid (for) what they’ve been doing for all of us because for me a lot of my favorite professors are lecturers,” Onela said. “And so just thinking about the impact that they had on me, I just wanted to come out and support them in the same way that they’ve supported me.”
Potvin said one of the primary motivations behind these negotiations is to continue providing the best education possible for students. He said he believes high quality education comes from adequately compensating lecturers.
“The final thing that’s important is we’re doing, really all of this, for the students,” Potvin said. “The working conditions of the faculty are the educational conditions for the students, and that can’t be overlooked. And so again, if we’re compensated, if we’re provided the resources we need, then we can really help students be successful.”
Daily Staff Reporter Claudia Minetti can be reached at cminetti@umich.edu.