Dear Augsburg Staff,
We have exciting news to share with you about our union and important reminders about the next Town Hall/Q&A’s! See links below to register.
Our Augsburg Staff Union Organizing Committee has come to an agreement with President Pribbenow regarding the terms of an election. Here’s what that means:
- Our election will be conducted by mail-in ballot.
- Our election will be overseen by the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services, a trusted and neutral institution that is familiar with running union elections.
- We should begin receiving our ballots in the mail within two weeks from now.
- We will have roughly two weeks to return our ballots by mail.
- Once we have confirmation from the Bureau of Mediation Services that they have issued an Election Order, we will know the official start date of the election.
- A majority of union-eligible staff will need to Vote Yes for our Augsburg Staff Union to be formed with OPEIU Local 12.
- Your vote matters! Not returning a ballot will count as a “No” vote so it’s critical that every supporter be sure to get their Yes votes sent in and counted. (Note- This method of counting votes is abnormal but the Administration insisted on it being in the agreement.)
- As you saw in President Pribbenow’s email Monday, the Administration is insisting that Shared Services departments be excluded from the vote. We strongly disagree but have determined the best path for everyone is for us to move forward with our vote so we can begin making positive changes for all staff. We continue to believe that all staff at Augsburg deserve the right to organize and have our voices heard.
- We maintain an overwhelming majority of support and we will win this election as long as every supporter votes.
That’s a lot of information! Don’t worry, we’re making sure everyone on staff knows exactly what this means to them, so expect to be contacted by one of us, your colleagues, shortly to talk more about our election.
Now that we have achieved the most fair, timely, and inclusive process possible, we’re excited to move forward with all of you to win our election and finally gain the recognition and voice that we all deserve.