In this issue:

• Welcome New Bargaining Unit Members

• Benefits of Being in a Union – Economic Policy Institute Report

• Appropriations Committee Meeting – Friday August 28, 2020 1:00 PM 

• Membership Meeting – September 4, 2020, 12:15 pm – 2:15 pm

Welcome New Bargaining Unit Members 

On behalf of President Mary Ellen Junda (Music), Executive Vice President Jeffrey Ogbar (History), Vice President for Organizing & Membership Development Louise Simmons (Social Work),  and Treasurer/Secretary Oskar Harmon (Economics), welcome to the University of Connecticut and the American Association of University Professors. As mentioned today at your Orientation, here are a list of important links for you to familiarize yourself with your chapter of the AAUP: UConn-AAUP Website; Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA);  Electronic Membership Form; Contact information.

Membership in UConn-AAUP is extremely important, especially during a year of negotiations for a new CBA. Over the course of the semester, your negotiating team will be meeting with representatives of the administration to make improvements to the contract. A Chief Negotiators Blog will be available on the website with posts following the sessions. Members should stay informed throughout the process so that in the end, you will be ready to ratify the new contract. Please follow the Electronic Membership Form link and submit your form now.

Benefits of Being a Union Member

The Economic Policy Institute recently released a report outlining the importance of unions, and collective action in general, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Initial statement from the report:

What this report finds: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored both the importance of unions in giving workers a collective voice in the workplace and the urgent need to reform U.S. labor laws to arrest the erosion of those rights. During the crisis, unionized workers have been able to secure enhanced safety measures, additional premium pay, paid sick time, and a say in the terms of furloughs or work-share arrangements to save jobs. These pandemic-specific benefits build on the many ways unions help workers. Following are just a few of the benefits, according to the latest data:

• Unionized workers (workers covered by a union contract) earn on average 11.2% more in wages than nonunionized peers (workers in the same industry and occupation with similar education and experience).
• Black and Hispanic workers get a larger boost from unionization. Black workers represented by a union are paid 13.7% more than their nonunionized peers. Hispanic workers represented by unions are paid 20.1% more than their nonunionized peers.

Appropriations Committee Meeting Friday, August 28, 2020 1:00 pm

The CT Appropriations Committee is holding an informational hearing on the Fiscal Impact of COVID-19 on the University of Connecticut and UConn Health Center, tomorrow, August 28, 2020 at 1:00 pm. Presenting for the University will be President Katsouleas; Scott Jordan, EVP for Administration and CFO; Elly Daughtery, Student Affairs; and Nathan Fuerst, Enrollment Planning and Management. This will be the most current fiscal impact of the COVID virus on the university and will provide important information for the union and you. Viewing of the hearing can be found on the CTN Network.

Membership Meeting – September 4, 2020 – 12:15 pm – 2:15 pm

As per the UConn-AAUP ByLaws, a membership meeting must be convened to review the proposals that the bargaining team will submit for negotiations. During the Spring 2020 semester, the Contract Committee established subcommittees to review the contract and propose improvements to submit for negotiations. A report was developed by the committee and will be presented at the September 4, 2020 meeting. Negotiations for the expiring successor agreement will begin on September 15, 2020. Please look for more information on this meeting.