Daily Archives: January 25, 2025

Bargaining Update 12-11-24

December 11th, 2024

Where we are: Today the USA Bargaining Team presented our final two proposals to management regarding contracting out and our new 7-step salary proposal. Management brought their final proposal regarding campus closures due to inclement weather. Now that all proposals are on the table, we will begin the counterproposal and negotiations process.  

USA’s Proposals

*Click the proposal title to read it!*

Proposal 12: Article 18 Contracting Out/Temporary Employees

  • In response to the illegal privatization of Advancement, replaces the current protections with stronger, stricter language that prohibits any contracting out of bargaining unit work.
  • Establishes a joint Labor/Management Committee to:
    • Identify current CC/03 positions who are performing USA work.
    • Monitor and oversee CC/03 policies.
    • Require the university to supply USA with monthly listings of current CC/03 employees.

Proposal 15: Article 14 Salary

  • Replaces the current 14-step system with a 7-step system.
    • The NEW steps 1-6 will be the current steps 9-14.
    • The NEW step 7 will be a new step, 3% above current step 14.
  • Implements the change such that:
    • Members currently at steps 1-6 are moved to NEW steps 1-6 (current steps 9-14).
    • Members currently at step 7-14 are moved to NEW step 7, which is 3% above the current step 14.
  • Requires retroactive pay for this change back to July 1, 2024.
  • Continues the practice that any employee who is promoted, reallocated, renegotiated, or reclassified to a higher grade within USA must be moved to their same steps in the new classification or grade.
  • Codifies the state-determined parameter cost-of-living adjustments into our contract:
    • 3% in January 2025
    • 2% in July 2025
    • 2% in January 2026
    • 2% in July 2026
    • 2% in January 2027
  • Further information about this proposal:

University’s Proposals 

Proposal: Article 8 Emergency and Campus Closures

  • Changes the date by which the list of essential personnel is published from Oct 15th to Nov 15th.
  • Removes the 30-minute allowance for commute times to and from campus for essential employees that are required to work on campus during a temporary closure.
  • Requires non-essential hybrid employees with the ability to work from a remote location to work during temporary campus closures.
  • Continues the practice of non-essential employees without the ability to work from a remote location to be paid during temporary campus closures.
  • Adds new contract language to account for weather emergencies for work locations other than UMass Amherst.

Bargaining Update 12-18-24

December 18th, 2024

Where we are:Today is the first day of presenting counter proposals! USA brought a counter to the University Proposal 2, regarding the Sick Leave Bank. We also established working groups to continue to work on counters.

USA’s Counter Proposals

Counter to University Proposal 2: Article 10 Sick Leave Bank

Click here to view the original University Proposal 2.
Click here to view USA’s counter proposal.

  • First and foremost: Thank you to Sick Leave Bank Committee members Linda Hillenbrand, Rachel Lavery, and Sue Matysiewicz and the USA Health & Safety Committee for their work on this counter proposal! 
  • Our counter responds to the proposed changes from the university and makes changes to both Article 9 Leave and Article 10 Sick Leave Bank (SLB).
  • Proposed changes to Article 9 Leave:
    • Expands the definition of family members that are included in the group that members can use sick leave to care for.
    • For retiring members, removes the 10-day maximum of sick time that can be donated to the SLB.
  • Proposed changes to Article 10 Sick Leave Bank:
    • Allow new hires to access the SLB as soon as they are hired, instead of after they have completed the probationary period (6 months).
    • Adds new language proposing that the university establishes an electronic tracking system to streamline the SLB donation process for members and replace the current method of submitting a PDF application.
    • Accepts the university’s proposed change to specify October as the month where members may voluntarily donate to the SLB, which has been past practice.
    • Rejects the university’s proposed limit of 10 days as the amount that members may voluntary donate to the SLB.
    • Proposes a procedure to recover the SLB when it drops below 1500 and 1000 hours.
      • If below 1500 hours, each member will be asked to make a voluntary donation.
      • If below 1000 hours, each member will contribute 1 day of sick time.
        • Members who have donated 2 days or more in the last 6 months will be exempt.
        • Members with less than 11 days of accrued sick leave will be exempt.
    • Allow members to retain personal time when utilizing the SLB.
      • Currently, personal leave is included in the leave that is taken by SLB when a member uses it.
      • Current practice causes members using SLB in January (when personal time is awarded) to lose their personal time before they have the chance to use it.
      • For example, a member using SLB in January will have had much less time to use personal time when compared to a member using the SLB in July.
    • Increases the maximum amount of SLB which can be used for a member’s family member to 90 calendar days, equal to the amount which can be used for the member.
      • This rejects the university’s proposal to increase the amount of the SLB that can be used by members to care for family from 2 weeks to 4 weeks.
    • Changes language defining eligible family members for which members can use SLB to care for, aligning with the changes we proposed in Article 9.

University’s Counter Proposals 

The university presented no counters.