News Update - October 13, 2006

We have received additional information regarding UEA’s Request for Mediation with the Bureau of Mediation Services. We are concerned about tone reflected in the wording of the request by the UEA representatives, and believe it’s important to provide the University’s perspective on the Request.

As we stated in our last update, mediation is a normal part of the negotiation process, often signaling that the two parties are at a point where they cannot come to full agreement on all the issues. Often both sides have presented their positions on a group of issues, but that rationale is not persuasive to the other side. If that was the impetus for the UEA filing the mediation request, we agree that both parties are reaching that point.

However, the language used by the UEA representatives in the request inaccurately conveys that the University is unresponsive to requests, does not provide information that’s been requested, and will not provide proposals. We strongly disagree with this kind of characterization and question the motivation for making these kinds of allegations at this point in the process. From our perspective, UEA and the University have two distinct starting positions for this round of negotiations. While these perspectives may frustrate the other party, neither is inherently wrong.

UEA is looking to have most of the current UMD contract fit the Crookston faculty. The University’s position is that the UMD contract has evolved over 25 years to fit the unique needs of the Duluth campus, and is not necessarily the best fit for Crookston. While we expect that portions of the contract covering Crookston faculty will cover the same types of provisions as the Duluth portions, we expect the actual terms to be distinct. We have been clear from the beginning of the negotiations process that this is one of our bargaining principles.

The reality of the mediation process is that the mediator will work with both parties in an attempt to bring about resolution. The mediator’s role is not to make value judgments about each party’s proposals or bargaining positions, but instead to help assist the parties in finding some ground on which we can agree. We are looking forward to process of educating the mediator about our bargaining history, articulating our positions, and reaching agreement as soon as we can. As events develop, we will continue these updates.

The University of Minnesota , Crookston (UMC) is one of four campuses in the University of Minnesota land grant system.  UMC is a coordinate campus that provides a unique approach through applied and polytechnic baccalaureate education, research, and service.

UMC is an equal opportunity educator and employer