Building the Tulane Workers United Bargaining Team

Now that we’ve won our union, we must come together to nominate members for election to our bargaining team. Here’s a little about what a bargaining team is and what role the team plays in securing our first contract. 

Our Bargaining Team

Becky Otten	Centers	Social Innovation	PoP
Borja Gama de Cossio	SLA	Spanish & Portuguese	PoP
Brian McNamara	SOPA	Public Administration	PoP (Assoc. Director of Public Administration Program)
Brooke Grant	SOPA	Education	Senior PoP
Chris Oliver	SLA	Sociology	Senior PoP
Chris Otten	Freeman	Business & Legal Studies	PoP
Ebony Perro	SLA	English/First Year Writing	Senior PoP
Heather Veneziano	Architecture	Historic Preservation	PoP (Assoc. Director of Historic Presservation)
James Cronin	SSE	Cell & Molecular Biology	Senior PoP
Kelly Tierney	Architecture	Design	VAP
Matt Toups	SSE	Computer Science	PoP
Tyler Antrup	Architecture	Real Estate	VAP
Lourdes Rincon	SLA	Spanish & Portuguese	Instructor

Bargaining Team Structure, Formation, and Expectations 

The primary responsibility of the team is to negotiate our first collective bargaining agreement with management’s representatives. Being elected to the team obligates each member to represent and fight for the best possible contract for ALL members of the unit. 

Two elected representatives from each school (SLA, SSE, ARCH, Business, SOPA, and the Centers) will comprise the bargaining team. Additionally, we will have 3 At Large members, who will be selected by the bargaining committee. We strive to create a team that centers diversity, equity, and inclusion. The team also includes Workers United Regional Director Jean Hervey — who will help train the team and participate as chief spokesperson in the negotiations with Tulane’s representatives.

The team will meet as necessary throughout the process, including preparation meetings, bargaining training, in-person bargaining sessions, post-bargaining session debriefs, membership informational sessions, etc. The schedule of bargaining itself is subject to negotiation with management’s representatives. 

It is important to note that being on the bargaining team is a significant time commitment. The amount of time required of the team each week varies. It will involve at minimum a couple of hours a week, but with a more significant amount of time during actual bargaining sessions, which can take many hours. We have some required meetings that will take place during evenings and possibly on weekends. While the team will strive to meet in-person as often as possible, some discussions may need to be held via phone or Zoom. 

We are asking nominated faculty to accept or decline their nomination by Sunday, September 22 at midnight. We plan to hold elections by school within a week of determining the candidates.

Bargaining Team Responsibilities

• The team develops initial bargaining goals by using surveys, other relevant contracts, and membership feedback. 
• The team members attend negotiation sessions with management and our internal bargaining caucuses and meetings in order to advance our bargaining agenda.  
• The team assesses, analyzes, and responds to management bargaining proposals and develops counter-proposals. 
• The team keeps membership and allies informed and educated about the general tone and tenor of negotiations. As elected representatives, the team members keep constant communication with members and allies through bargaining bulletins/newsletters, established communication chains (Signal, phone trees, etc.), and membership meetings. 
• The team coordinates with the organizing committee (OC), working groups/sub-teams, and other activists on the various goals necessary to win a strong contract.
• The team makes recommendations to the membership on whether to approve a contract or take other necessary actions (e.g. pressure campaigns, direct action, etc.).

The Roles of the Bargaining Team

Collectively, the bargaining team will play a number of different roles during the bargaining process. Individual team members may specialize in one or more of these roles, or move fluidly through all of them. Each of these roles is crucial for TWU’s ability to win a strong first contract. (Note: The below language is adapted from The Art Institute of Chicago Workers United’s website.)

Experts: Bargaining team members are the experts on workplace issues of vital concern to your colleagues. The chief negotiator relies on the team’s problem-solving skills to help plot the best strategy to deal with workplace issues during negotiations. 

Decision Makers: The team decides on proposals and counter-proposals and, ultimately, on the entire tentative agreement before it is submitted to the full membership for ratification.

Leaders: Bargaining team members are counted on to provide leadership and direction. Bargaining team members should not come locked into positions. Their job is to negotiate and get the best deal we can, including making some necessary compromises to get a final contract.

Communicators:  Bargaining team members help in communicating what’s happening to their coworkers. These are not secret negotiations, and it is important to keep the full membership informed about the “big picture.”