Dear Colleagues,
This is a reminder that our next round of bargaining is tomorrow at 8 AM. We’re expecting to hear the administration’s response to our proposals. To recap, this is what’s at stake:
- Effective January 7, 2021 all bargaining unit members will receive either a 7% increase in their salary/hourly wage or have their salary/hourly/wage increased to $48,500/year, whichever results in the highest salary/hourly wage. If the member is working less than full-time the $48,500/year will be prorated based on what ratio of a full-time 40 hours/week they are working. For example, a member working 32 hours/week (0.8) time would have that $48,500 pro-rated to $38,800/year.
- Augsburg pays 100% of healthcare, vision, and dental premiums on plans covering a single employee. Employees choosing healthcare plans covering partners, dependents, or families would pay a reduced percentage of the premiums than they currently do.
- Augsburg will make an annual contribution to employee HSA accounts for High Deductible plans of $1000 per year, regardless of coverage level.
- The formation of a Health and Wellness Committee that will determine health care plans, their designs and other issues concerning them, including selecting affordable health care plans and bringing transparency to the process. The committee would also establish a health care plan for students. The committee will have equal representation from upper admin/HR, Augsburg staff union, other non-union staff, students, faculty, adjunct faculty union, and facilities and custodial union. These representatives will be directly selected by their peers.
- Birth/Adoption Leave: The Employer shall provide to all employees six (6) weeks of paid Birth/Adoption Leave time to use starting up to 2 weeks prior to or after the birth or adoption of a child. Time shall be used all at once anytime in the first 12 months from the date of birth or adoption decree.
- Family Care Leave: six (6) weeks of paid family leave to care for medical/illness needs of themselves, and/or of their family and household members or anyone they are in a caregiver relationship to.
- A two-year freeze on student tuition and housing costs.
These proposals aren’t pie-in-the-sky demands. They’re what the majority of staff has said is necessary to create an Augsburg contract that reflects our values of equity, inclusion, and democracy. We all do better when we all do better.
We’re excited to hear what the administration has to say about our proposals. We see this process as a collaborative way to share staff input on how Augsburg is run, so we hope the administration sees it that way too.
The bargaining team will update you on how negotiations go tomorrow!
The Focused Conversation that the administration held last Thursday went great! Just under half of our union members were there to hear about sustainable growth while representing their union pride with matching Zoom backgrounds. This was a strong showing of solidarity. Just a few days after this action, administration walked back their insistence that bargaining team members use their vacation hours to negotiate. When we stand together we win!
Please continue to use your Augsburg Staff Union Zoom backgroundsand email signatures!