SEIU Local 73 Spring Semester Bargaining Progress Update

January 18, 2018

Arts and Sciences Colleagues,

This Friday, January 19, Loyola and SEIU Local 73 will resume negotiations to reach a fair and reasonable collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for our approximately 350 full- and part-time, non-tenure-track faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences. This is an opportune time to share additional information about where we are at in this stage of negotiations, the upcoming bargaining process, and, importantly, about Loyola’s priorities in these negotiations.

Progress to Date

As you know, Loyola and SEIU Local 73 began negotiations in mid-2016 and have completed 21 bargaining sessions to date. While we have successfully addressed a few important matters, we have a considerable amount of work to do. Specifically, we have reached agreement on topics such as defining the issues to be bargained, a labor management committee, union rights, academic freedom, health and safety, and a number of others.

Near-term Priorities

In the negotiating sessions ahead, the parties will address issues of great importance to non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty, including compensation and benefits, appointments, evaluations, promotions, professional development, workload, and duties.

As we proceed, we want to emphasize that Loyola is committed to bargaining in good faith and with a sense of urgency in order to reach a fair and reasonable contract that is good for NTT faculty, students, and the entire Loyola University Chicago academic community. We will continue to work constructively and collaboratively with the Union to reach an agreement that provides you with competitive and fair compensation and benefits; greater clarity, consistency, and predictability for appointments, appointment length, and scheduling; and a rewarding work environment.

Our goal is a contract that is consistent with our commitment to the common good, and one that allows Loyola to live up to our promise to make a high-quality education affordable to our current and future students. We must always remember our first priority is to our students and their intellectual and spiritual formation. This will continue to be the lens through which we view these negotiations and all of our efforts.

We currently have bargaining sessions scheduled for the following dates, and we are committed to adding other dates, if needed, to reach an agreement in the coming weeks. We are intent on ensuring progress at the table and on reaching an agreement as soon as possible this semester.

Upcoming Bargaining Dates

• Friday, January 19 – 9 a.m. to Noon
• Friday, February 2 – 8:30 a.m. to Noon
• Wednesday, February 14 – 8:30 a.m. to Noon
• Tuesday, March 6 – 8:30 a.m. to Noon 
• Wednesday, March 28 – 1 to 5 p.m.
• Friday, April 20 – 1 to 5 p.m. 
• Monday, May 14 – 1 to 5 p.m. 
• Tuesday, May 29 – 1 to 5 p.m.

Bargaining Team Additions

As you may know, last September SEIU Local 73 added a new chief negotiator to its team, Larry Alcoff. Larry has served as SEIU’s designated point person for many university negotiations—especially first contracts. We look forward to working with him in the coming weeks.

On Loyola’s end, we have added Joe Tilson to our team. Joe is with the law firm of Cozen O’Connor and has 35+ years of experience in labor relations and union negotiations. Joe has extensive experience in higher education, having worked with University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Columbia College Chicago, Roosevelt University, and many others. Loyola’s Senior Vice President for Administrative Services Tom Kelly and Director of Core Curriculum David Slavsky, who have been at the bargaining table representing Loyola, will continue to do so moving forward.

John Frendreis, PhD, professor of political science, and Constantine Rasinariu, PhD, chair of physics, have also been added to the Loyola bargaining team.

Commitment to Transparency

During this process, we are committed to ongoing and transparent communications with you. We will provide more specifics on topics discussed at the table, tentative agreements reached, and the overall progress of negotiations. We will continue to post updates at LUC.edu/bargaining/cas-bargaining/ and will email additional information as needed. It is important that all faculty have the facts.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. My door is always open.

Sincerely,

Thomas Regan, S.J.
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences