UAW Local 2300 Professional Staff Association/Tompkins County Public Library | Bargaining Day One

February 20, 2025

2-5:15 pm

TCPL UAW PSA Siblings,

Our first session of PSA bargaining update:

Management Attendees: Anthony Elia, inside counsel; Peter Jones, outside counsel; Leslie Tabor, Director; Kathy Weinberg, President, Board of Trustees; Tonya VanCamp, TCPL Business Manager

UAW PSA Attendees: Christine Johnson, President UAW Local 2300; Lonnie Everett, UAW Region 9 International Representative; Asia Bonacci, PSA Steward; Jeremy Jordan, Regina DeMauro, Joyce Wheatley

Observer from UAW SSA: Shelby Buche

The UAW PSA team and the management team agreed to the following ground rules:

1. Negotiations will be held in person at the Library at agreed dates and times. Meetings may be extended by mutual agreement.

2. All proposals will be submitted in writing. All approved proposals will be typed and initialed but are only tentative until a final agreement is reached.

3. When a total package is agreed upon by both negotiating committees, it shall be recommended for ratification by the parties.

4. Either party may request a caucus. Both parties agree to unlimited caucus.

5. Both parties agree to meet as frequently as necessary to reach an agreement on the terms of a new contract. No meeting shall adjourn without the scheduling of its successor, if possible. Both parties agree to avoid and discourage delays.

The UAW PSA team did NOT agree to the following and they were struck from management's ground rules document:

1. The Negotiating Committee will consist of the following members. Only those members who have been listed will be included in negotiations unless the other group gives at least one week’s notice of new members.

2. Negotiations will be held in executive sessions. Complete confidentiality will be maintained by all present at any session(s) throughout negotiations until a ratified tentative agreement or impasse is reached. No press release regarding specific items will be made until such time as an impasse is declared or agreement is reached. Status reports to appropriate constituents are allowable.

The UAW PSA team is committed to open and transparent bargaining and agrees to give members regular updates. The team also agrees to negotiate only when ¾ of the PSA negotiating team members are present.

After agreeing to ground rules, the UAW PSA team presented 4 demands under RECIPROCAL RIGHTS:

Demand 1:

4) RECIPROCAL RIGHTS

4. A. The Library and the Association will administer their obligations under

this contract in a manner which shall be fair and impartial to all employees

and shall not discriminate against any employee by reason of race, color, sex,

religion, age, marital status, national origin, disability, ex-offender status,

Vietnam Era Veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity,

genetic information, education, caregiver status, or socioeconomic status.

Demand 2

4) RECIPROCAL RIGHTS

4. E. The employee and the Association representative shall be permitted to

attend any formal grievance, arbitration, or hearings without loss of pay. The

Association representative shall notify the Library Director as soon as

possible when scheduled to attend these hearings. Grievance hearings for

members shall be held during a mutually agreed upon time, within the

employee’s scheduled work hours.

Demand 3

4) RECIPROCAL RIGHTS

4.F. The Association shall have the right to post notices and communications

on the bulletin boards maintained on the premises and in the facilities of the

library, ~~subject to the approval of such notices by~~ with notification to the

Library Director.

Demand 4 (new language)

4) RECIPROCAL RIGHTS

4.I: Association representative or another appointed member may attend the

monthly Board of Trustees meeting without loss of pay.

Management caucused after receiving the demands, and let us know they would have responses prepared at our next meeting on March 12 from 2-5 pm. Management did not have proposals to share on day one. The UAW insisted that negotiations occur during compensable hours for the Bargaining Team.

In solidarity,

UAW PSA Bargaining Team