On June 1, the Lecturers Employee Organization began bargaining for additional salary increases on behalf of LEO lecturers at the University of Michigan-Flint after undergraduate credit-hour enrollment increased over 10% since the 2023-2024 academic year.
In their collective bargaining agreement with the university in 2024, LEO incorporated a salary reopener clause within a memorandum of understanding that allowed the union to negotiate additional salary increases for either the Dearborn or Flint campus.
The Flint campus reached a 10% increase in undergraduate credit-hour enrollment. This measure was used because both Dearborn and Flint campuses achieved an annual increase of 3%, compared with a gradual year-over-year increase for Ann Arbor lecturers.
After Flint’s credit-hour generation increased 19.4% in the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years, the Flint campus lecturers were allowed to pursue these additional salary increases.
Cindee Giffen, president of LEO and biology lecturer at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, said lecturers are seeking a living wage.
“We need to be able to compensate people at a rate where they don’t need to work second and third jobs,” Griffen said.
The union held its reopener kickoff on June 1 on the UM-Flint campus. The event had union members from all three campuses attending, and allowed friends and supporters to attend the upcoming bargaining session.
LEO began private negotiations with human resource representatives, two from the U-M and two from UM-Flint. After negotiations, the union held a rally at the McKinnon Plaza with LEO representatives from other campuses and a member of the U-M Board of Regents, Paul W. Brown.
LEO union members at Mckinnon Plaza. Photo taken on June 1. Andres Ochoa/MTimes. 
Paul Brown (middle), speaking on the steps of McKinnon Plaza at the LEO re-opener Kickoff rally amongst LEO Union demonstrators. Photo taken on June 1. Andres Ochoa/MTimes. 
A crowd of staff, allies, and press gathering at McKinnon Plaza at the LEO re-opener Kickoff rally amongst LEO Union demonstrators. Photo taken on June 1. Andres Ochoa/MTimes. 
Kimberly Saks (front-left), speaking on the steps of McKinnon Plaza at the LEO re-opener Kickoff rally amongst LEO Union demonstrators. Photo taken on June 1. Andres Ochoa/MTimes. 
LEO Union members prepare signs for their rally. Photo taken on June 1. Andres Ochoa/MTimes. 
Cindee Giffen (front-left), speaking on the steps of McKinnon Plaza at the LEO re-opener Kickoff rally amongst LEO Union demonstrators. Photo taken on June 1. Andres Ochoa/MTimes
Brown said that the Flint campus has had its faculty sacrifice a lot after the Flint water crisis in order to maintain the institution’s stability.
“Because of all of the work of you and your colleagues, Flint is on the rise,” Brown said.
Giffen said most students at the Flint campus don’t realize that half of their professors are lecturers.
“Lecturers in Flint teach over half of the undergraduate credit hours,” Griffen said.
Jennifer Miller, biology lecturer at UM-Flint and lead negotiator for LEO, spoke at McKinnon Plaza amongst supporters at the June 1 rally.
Miller said that there isn’t much of a difference between the lecturers at UM-Flint and those at Ann Arbor, that lecturers at Flint do the same job and even teach more.
Giffen said that LEO is demanding an additional increase of 6.5% in the third and fourth years of their CBA to attempt to reach parity with the Ann Arbor campus and deems it “Flint’s fair share” based on an estimation of an increase of $3 million in tuition revenue and the increase in undergraduate credit-hour enrollment.
Claudia Walters, a member of LEO and lecturer at the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus, spoke of issues facing lecturers in Dearborn. She said that the university is not recognizing its lower-level workers and is spending millions of dollars on searches for upper-level administrators.
“In Dearborn, we’re looking at this somewhat envious because we are not able to get to that point,” Walters said.
As of June 8, the human resource department representatives have counter-offered LEO-Flint’s bargaining team $0 in additional salary increases. This was twice, once after LEO’s initial offer of a 6.5% increase and the subsequent lowered offer of 5.5%.
In a statement to the Michigan Times, Miller said that they are disappointed with the university’s decision.
“We are deeply disappointed that the administration is unwilling to recognize the incredible amount of work that Flint lecturers have put into this university…Flint lecturers deserve their fair share.”
However, this is the union’s current offer and may change as the bargaining window closes. The bargaining window ends on June 12.
Andres Ochoa is a writer for The Michigan Times. He is a photographer and an A/V enthusiast, studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Music at the University of Michigan-Flint.
