Six months into their negotiations to secure a first contract, the Lecturers' Employee Organization/AFT held a rally and informational pickets last month at the University of Michigan to press management on key bargaining issues. LEO, affiliated with the Michigan Federation of Teachers & School-Related Personnel, comprises 1,400 nontenure-track faculty at the University of Michigan who voted for union representation in April 2003.

Two hundred people attended a rally at the Ann Arbor campus and were joined by students and the labor community supporters.  On the university's Dearborn campus, an informational picket drew support from members of local trade unions, the UM Graduate Employees Organization/AFT and the Henry Ford Community College Federation of Teachers/AFT.  At the Flint campus, members of the United Auto Workers spontaneously joined picketing LEO members on the line.

The rally finally helped convince management to "come to the table with the framework of a proposal," said LEO president Bonnie Halloran.

LEO has been fighting for job security and pay equity with other teachers in the Michigan public education system.  Lecturers at the university currently make up 50 percent of all teaching faculty.  Although 50 percent of them are full time, they have no guarantee of ongoing employment from semester to semester, or year to year.  They also are paid less than their counterparts in primary and secondary education.  The annualized full-time salary rate for part time lecturers in the College of Arts, Sciences and Letters at the University of Michigan-Dearborn is $19,600, while a starting high school teacher with a master's degree in the Ann Arbor schools earns $39,500.

"As a new union, this was our first picketing," said Halloran.  "It was the largest event we've pulled off and a great experience.  A lot of people were afraid, but it felt great to connect in that way." [Brian Dolber]

[March 15, 2004]