As we head ever closer to the event horizon of the April 20 contract end date and its mighty gravitational pull, time simultaneously seems to shrink and dilate. Days that once held one meeting now squeeze in three or four meetings, maybe more, and feel much longer than before. And weeks formerly with one bargaining date now contain two or three bargaining dates. In short, the process of negotiating a complex contract by two parties representing very distinct interests both obeys and apparently transgresses the laws of physics.
But I teach in the English department and understand poetry better than space-time, so I could be wrong.
What remains undeniably true is that as we approach April and the prospect of a major job action, the schedule of important events fills up faster. Over the next few weeks, there really will be additional, ad-hoc bargaining sessions to resolve both non-economic and economic issues. Lecturers, we need to be at these sessions, too! Perhaps especially those who haven’t been able to attend Friday’s regular sessions can now support the LEO bargaining team and pay heed to the ongoing negotiations on one or more of these extra occasions. Allies, we continue to appreciate deeply your interest in our professional welfare, and hope to keep seeing you during the regular times (10ish to 5ish) on Fridays, usually in the caucus room but in the bargaining room itself on April 6!
The first extra bargaining session will occur VERY soon, TODAY, Wednesday, March 28, in the South Room of the Administrative Services Building (1009 Greene St., at Hoover). There’s metered parking in the lot across the street, and parking for those of us with U-M stickers in the two lots behind the football stadium. Bargaining will start at 3:30 PM and proceed until an undetermined time in the evening. The front doors should remain open till 5 PM. As we enter, we’ll head right through the double doors and be directed by a receptionist if we see no LEO people to guide us. Let’s get some lecturers’ eyes and ears in that room! Why not yours?
Next week, extra bargaining is expected to occur on two days, Tuesday, April 3, and Wednesday, April 4, also in the late afternoons and evenings. Locations for both days TBD. Note that Wednesday’s session may occur both before and after the third, strikingly important General Membership Meeting in Ann Arbor (6:00-7:00 PM in the Ballroom (Floor 2) of the Michigan League, 911 N. University Ave.)!
tl:dr — Extra bargaining sessions kick off today at 3:30 PM at Academic HR and will continue next week on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Lecturers' Employee Organization 