To the Point:

Can we talk?

By William E. Scheuerman
UUP President

It’s hard to believe, but nearly four years have passed since we agreed with the state on our current collective bargaining agreement. Our once “new contract” has become old; so the time to negotiate another contract is upon us.

Negotiations always present new opportunities and challenges. Sure, given the fiscal condition of New York’s economy and the national recession, the challenges are likely to be extraordinarily tough this time around. But don’t worry. UUP will take advantage of any and all opportunities that arise at the bargaining table, and I’m confident that we’ll meet any challenge the state throws at us.

After all, UUP is viewed as a stable organization whose members stick together. We earned that reputation two contracts ago when we alone beat back the state’s efforts to take away tenure and continuing appointment. Our cohesion paid off four years ago when we set the pattern for other state unions to follow. That pattern contained solid salary increases and a number of innovations that put extra dollars into our members’ pockets. It was a good contract!

UUP is a cohesive organization because we’re a democratic union, and democracy brings us together. Our members will stick together and support us if the going gets rough because the contract we bring to the bargaining table mirrors their demands.

I’ve used this space before to tell you how UUP puts together our set of demands. Ours is one of the most — if not the most — democratic processes in the entire House of Labor. UUP has an institutional structure that ensures complete membership input in the preparation of our demands. We hold open hearings; poll the entire membership; visit all the chapters; and meet with and poll committee chairs, chapter presidents and other leaders. We then analyze what you tell us you want and don’t want, and we put it into a set of bargaining demands that we present to the Negotiations Committee — a committee consisting of one member from each chapter — for approval prior to going to the table to negotiate.

Who negotiates? Since it is the constitutional responsibility of the UUP president to negotiate a contract, the president appoints a Negotiations Team to go to the table. For another example of democracy at work, just look at our current team. With 19 members, it’s the largest in UUP’s history. The larger the team, the more difficult it is to reach a consensus. But the consensus reached is more likely than ever to represent the will of our members.

When we finally reach a tentative agreement, hopefully sometime next spring, our ratification process is also democratically driven by the rank-and-file membership. The team will again visit the chapters to discuss the proposal and answer questions; you’ll get a detailed question-and-answer brochure prior to the visit, as well as letters describing any new programs. UUP will also send you a copy of the actual language of the Agreement, something that most other unions do not do. The American Arbitration Association will conduct the elections, which we will hold when members are available and not away during summer break.

Your elected officers know that negotiating a collective bargaining agreement is our raison d’être. The more responsive we are to the needs and demands of our members, the stronger and more effective we become. Likewise, the stronger we become, the more effectively we can serve our members. But this democratic process requires commitment and work on your part.

That’s why I’m inviting you — make that urging you — to get involved. Tell us what you think by participating in the team’s visit to your chapter.

Also, don’t forget to complete and return the postage-paid negotiations questionnaire you should receive this month. UUP is your union and we’re about to negotiate a contract that will have a major impact on your professional life. So get involved. Your participation and involvement will make your union more responsive to your needs, while also increasing our strength at the bargaining table.

See you soon!