University Staff United, a union representing non-supervisory staff across all three University of Michigan campuses, voted Friday to ratify its first collective bargaining agreement with the University. For the first time, members of USU’s Student and Instructional Services bargaining unit — the union’s first and only recognized unit — will work under a contract that guarantees yearly raises and other workplace benefits.
During the final days of negotiation, the major topic of disagreement between USU and University Human Resources was salary increases. HR proposed a 3% raise for SIS employees on the Ann Arbor campus and a 1% raise for SIS employees on the Flint and Dearborn campuses. The union protested this proposal, arguing it created unequal treatment of employees across campuses. USU also criticized the sizes of each raise, noting that 1% falls below the current U.S. inflation rate and 3% does little to address cost of living concerns in Ann Arbor.
While USU did not persuade HR to reconsider the proposal, the union secured additional salary concessions in the final days of bargaining. In a press release, USU wrote the University increased its offer and said non-union workers may not receive raises at all this year…