Bargaining Update #0: Surprise, surprise, management is already acting in bad faith

It’s almost the middle of August, and you might be wondering: Aren’t we supposed to be bargaining with Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC by now? Surprise, surprise, management is already acting in bad faith.

It’s a situation that reeks of unfairness. Per our contract, we were supposed to start bargaining at the beginning of the month. Your bargaining team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory asked for dates to bargain with management all the way back in June. Management kept us in the dark for weeks, claiming they were working on their availability to meet with us. They also refuse to give your bargaining team paid release time, which means we will have to bargain the contract after work hours, spending less time with our families and the ability to rest. Their team gets paid regardless. It’s a clear case of unequal treatment.

When we finally received the dates to bargain, it started the last week of August, twenty-four days late. Our contract says that all proposals are due by Monday, September 2, 2024. Management still expects us to give them all of our proposals by September 2, violating both the letter and the spirit of the contract. It’s unclear if they will bargain in good faith with any proposals we submit after the deadline.

Management thinks they’re above the contract, using it against us to benefit them. But we’re not alone in this. We’re UPTE, a union, a collective force. Contact your bargaining team member or shop steward to learn more and stand together against this injustice.