Welcome to the LEO blog! Here you can find up-to-date information and perspectives on the current contract negotiations occurring between union and university administration representatives. During this important process you can rely on this site for recent and necessary updates on a process that affects our livelihoods and professional careers.
The LEO's Share is named precisely because this is a place for all LEO members to contribute our thoughts, feedback, and positions regarding contract negotiations. Sharing these brings us together in solidarity, but also allows us to see the diverse needs and interests of our members and to work together toward meeting our shared, but also disparate, interests. Find out what a Lecturer I in biochemistry from Dearborn thinks about stipends. Learn what a Lecturer IV in history from Ann Arbor has done to champion better job security. Hear new and different perspectives from members in diverse disciplines on what matters at the bargaining table. Sharing these insights with each other will help us to build on our strong connections as union members, and to collaborate in order to communicate our needs to union leaders.
The lion's share is, historically, a phrase that references one of Aesop's fables, in which the lion uses his power to advocate for a greater share of the spoils of a recent hunt. LEO has chosen to be represented by the lion and during bargaining, we will use the power of collective action to advocate for what we deserve as university employees. During this round of negotiations we will face arguments from the other side regarding the need to sacrifice in a time of economic uncertainty, and serious pressure to give up what we have gained throughout LEO's history. We must rely on each other and the bargaining team to maintain and further our common interests. By advocating for what we deserve as a result of our contributions to the university, we will obtain a contract that defines and protects The LEO's Share.
