Since our last update, your UMPSA Negotiating Team has continued to collectively bargain with the UMaine System (UMS) Negotiating Team, typically once a week or once every other week.
Both sides have put all their proposals on the bargaining table, in writing, and we are at the proposal / counter-proposal / counter-to-the-counter stage (also provided in writing). We’ve made good progress on some proposals, less progress on others. Both sides continue to bargain and UMPSA is fighting hard for you.
An item you are probably keenly interested in is the 7% + 7% + 7% Cost Of Living salary increase we mentioned in our earlier update. We divulged those starting point numbers to show you we strongly believe we all deserve better wages. Did the UMS counter-propose something much, much lower? Of course they did. We expected it. This is where the counter-proposal stage comes into play. It’s where we are right now — on that item and others. We cannot divulge much beyond that as we work on the best overall contract for us all.
A question you probably have is, Whatever we agree to for a salary increase, will it be retroactive to July 1, 2024? UMPSA is adamant that it will be and we made that crystal-clear to the UMS.
Another question you may have is, How will we know the contract has been settled? When the UMPSA Negotiating Team and the UMS have reached a Tentative Agreement (T.A.) we will send the new contract to dues-paying union members to vote on for ratification. We will also explain what is new and what has changed — to help you make an informed voting decision.
For non-dues-paying UMPSA unit members who are reading this … You still have time to join our union and to vote on the new contract but time is running out. Becoming a dues-paying union member is the only way you can have a say in what the union does on your behalf. Choose to remain on the sidelines? Then you’ll learn about the new UMPSA contract sometime after your union member co-workers vote to ratify it.
We understand you may feel frustrated by the slow pace of the negotiations. Unfortunately, this is due largely to the fact that the UMS chose to negotiate four union contracts simultaneously: UMPSA; AFUM; ACSUM; and a new union, Graduate Students, who are being represented by the United Auto Workers (yes, that UAW) — all of this during the summertime, when people on every negotiating team (UMS’ included) are trying to take well-earned vacation time. To say it has been a slow, frustrating slog puts it mildly.
It should be noted that to help keep us on schedule, many of your UMPSA Negotiating Team members gave up their scheduled vacation time and worked on behalf of the union during their vacation days. We’re busting our asses for you and your family.
You’ll hear more from us when we have more to say but we’re in a delicate phase of negotiations and much of what we are working on needs to be held tight to the vest.
Thank you for understanding that and thank you for your patience and support.
In Solidarity,
Neil Greenberg, Co-Chief Negotiator, UMPSA President
Tom Donaghue, Co-Chief Negotiator, UMPSA Vice President
Sara Abronze, Negotiation Secretary