new seat selection email?

[Chief00]

Y

You’re acting like an employer can unilaterally decide to remove a position from collective bargaining. Even if Ollie or Hurley was ok with it, you need to get buy in from union. Ask anyone that’s ever dealt with a union. Unions only like setting precedents when they work in their favor. If they agree to one coaching job being exempt, it creates the precedent to allow UConn to change status on every coach at the school. I agree that it is odd to have a high level D1 coach covered under collective bargaining, but there are years of precedent at UConn that is not easy to reverse.

How many lawyers does UConn have, and why can’t they accomplish that when other schools easily did? My guess is they did not even try. Our Head Coach has a $50 million contract - and should be considered management level.

 

[willie99]

I think we're officially off the rails here

 

[Chief00]

Is it odd that it was in there? Yes!
Can you just remove it easy-peasy? No!

No one else seems to have had an issue classifying a $50 million type head coach as not part of the rank and file collective bargaining unit. You need a Development Plan to propel you from the 1970’s.

 

[John]

Picked earlier this morning - ended up with equivalent seats on opposite side of arena, however we lost our aisle seats which sucks because one of my seatmates is in his 80s and the aisle seat was easier for him to navigate. To clarify too, our forever seats were in the 200s, and there is definitely a lot of red now in those areas, so the 100s are definitely now coming upstairs to the peasant lands. We went though the Lew Perkins era and got removed from longtime great seats (mid-100s) that we'd had for years, so this all feels like Lew Era 2.0.

Not particularly enthralled with the athletic department and how this whole thing went down, so until my annoyance level decreases we'll be directing discretionary donations to the academic side of the university (which arguably we should have been doing all along anyway), and won't be buying/donating bowl tickets like we've always done every time they earn a bowl bid. Just generally annoyed even though we got lucky and cherry picked some equivalent seats in a area that was otherwise all red. Good luck to anyone who's still picking seats! Log in early to see what's there and make a list before your picking time.

 

[John]

quick follow-up: during the checkout process they mention a potential ninth game being added, and that will be surcharged later. Is that ninth game one of these big OOC home-and-homes that they've recently announced? Hope so.

 

[huskymedic]

How many lawyers does UConn have, and why can’t they accomplish that when other schools easily did? My guess is they did not even try.

Background (not the first attempt either):

https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/At-UConn-athletic-coaches-belong-to-the-faculty-17273134.php

-> UConn is currently fighting to remove coaches from the union through two separate mechanisms: a petition filed with the State Board of Labor Relations, as well as ongoing negotiations with the AAUP. Michael Bailey, executive director of the UConn AAUP, said in an email that the sides had so far met once for two hours to discuss the issue but “did not accomplish anything.” <-

Believe the current CBA expires this year… guess we’ll have to wait and see what UConn gives up in exchange to achieve their goal.

 

[Ha Who]

quick follow-up: during the checkout process they mention a potential ninth game being added, and that will be surcharged later. Is that ninth game one of these big OOC home-and-homes that they've recently announced? Hope so.

You mean it is not a thank you gift for giving up your forever seats

 

[ctkaiser]

Again, you are in a void. I never made a statement about the seats I selected some time ago. The World is bigger and more strategic than what I personally got as seats.
If you had a better business background than you exhibit, you would understand that. Also since you react emotionally rather than logically, you would realize I did not threaten a class action lawsuit. What I said is they created through various missteps, significant legal exposure risk for losing a class action and having to make a significant payout.
All UConn had to add in Ollie’s contract was a sentence: “That this contract and his employment did not fall under the Collective Bargaining Agreement”. That mistake cost UConn over $10 million dollars. Will history repeat itself?

Good thought but likely wouldn't have signed it.

 

[Chief00]

Good thought but likely wouldn't have signed it.

Don’t agree, so you are turning down $10 million dollars to be in a Collective Bargaining Unit? Who in their right mind would do that?

 

[Chief00]

Background (not the first attempt either):

https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/At-UConn-athletic-coaches-belong-to-the-faculty-17273134.php

-> UConn is currently fighting to remove coaches from the union through two separate mechanisms: a petition filed with the State Board of Labor Relations, as well as ongoing negotiations with the AAUP. Michael Bailey, executive director of the UConn AAUP, said in an email that the sides had so far met once for two hours to discuss the issue but “did not accomplish anything.” <-

Believe the current CBA expires this year… guess we’ll have to wait and see what UConn gives up in exchange to achieve their goal.

Thanks for sharing. Better late than never, but certainly late to the party. If the current staff can’t execute this no brainer low hanging fruit, please bring in attorneys who can get the job done.
So if head coach Dan Hurley is not a manager, what is he?

 

[BullDawg]

Thanks for sharing. Better late than never, but certainly late to the party. If the current staff can’t execute this no brainer low hanging fruit, please bring in attorneys who can get the job done.
So if head coach Dan Hurley is not a manager, what is he?

This is not how bargaining units are determined.

 

[Chief00]

This is not how bargaining units are determined.

I know the focus is how these bargaining units are built for professors, Hurley is a Manager of a multi million dollar program responsible for scores of people, so appeal it pass the academic isolated committee and it is a no brainer win for the University.
The idea that a committee of decision makers isolated to the bargaining process get to determine if Dan can be terminated after a 30 game loss season is legally crazy.

 

[Chief00]

If you know the answer then say it, stop self-aggrandizing, about stuff you pretend to know just create this myth of Chief being in the know.

Until you say what you know definitely, we all agree that you know about as much about this ticket process as you do Andre Drummond's whereabouts on any given weekend.

So if I organize an event for Andre Drummond, will you commit to attend?

 

[BullDawg]

I know the focus is how these bargaining units are built for professors, Hurley is a Manager of a multi million dollar program responsible for scores of people, so appeal it pass the academic isolated committee and it is a no brainer win for the University.
The idea that a committee of decision makers isolated to the bargaining process get to determine if Dan can be terminated after a 30 game loss season is legally crazy.

The University doesn’t unilaterally determine the bargaining unit. Although I’m not familiar with Connecticut Public Labor Law, but usually, the unit is determined as part of the Union election process.

 

[Ha Who]

 

[zls44]

Not particularly enthralled with the athletic department and how this whole thing went down, so until my annoyance level decreases we'll be directing discretionary donations to the academic side of the university (which arguably we should have been doing all along anyway), and won't be buying/donating bowl tickets like we've always done every time they earn a bowl bid.

Well, if you aren’t going to do the things required to have good seats, then your seats will get worse, yes.

 

[John]

Well, if you aren’t going to do the things required to have good seats, then your seats will get worse, yes.

If Hurley leaves or there’s a rough patch for a couple of seasons then the casuals/Johnny-come-latelys stop buying season tickets (and stop attending in general). The real fans who always stick with the program by buying season tickets will start to see their seat locations improve, and the AD is begging for attendance . It’s happened over and over again with the program, football too. By the way a fan doesn’t get point credit for buying/donating bowl games, so that part of your snark doesn’t hold water.

 

[Waquoit]

I was stuck with no computer available to me. But at least the ticket agent picked up on the second ring when I called during my time slot.

 

[Chief00]

The University doesn’t unilaterally determine the bargaining unit. Although I’m not familiar with Connecticut Public Labor Law, but usually, the unit is determined as part of the Union election process.

Hire the coach as a consultant then, if CT can’t get it done the normal employee way as the vast majority of our peers. I can’t tell you all the reasons we fail at something that the consensus is success elsewhere, but if we can’t produce solutions then let’s stop focusing on making excuses and bring in people talented enought (with support from above) to get it done.
Even given your background, which I applaud, I think you would agree a union collective bargaining panel should not be making the decision if the AD should fire a coach. That’s the AD’s job and if he can’t execute it he may lose his job.

 

[zls44]

If Hurley leaves or there’s a rough patch for a couple of seasons then the casuals/Johnny-come-latelys stop buying season tickets (and stop attending in general). The real fans who always stick with the program by buying season tickets will start to see their seat locations improve, and the AD is begging for attendance .

Yes.

But right now, that is extremely not the case. They are striking while the iron is hot.

 

[BullDawg]

Hire the coach as a consultant then, if CT can’t get it done the normal employee way as the vast majority of our peers. I can’t tell you all the reasons we fail at something that the consensus is success elsewhere, but if we can’t produce solutions then let’s stop focusing on making excuses and bring in people talented enought (with support from above) to get it done.
Even given your background, which I applaud, I think you would agree a union collective bargaining panel should not be making the decision if the AD should fire a coach. That’s the AD’s job and if he can’t execute it he may lose his job.

I think you’re referring to labor arbitration. (Don’t hit me, but I was a labor arbitrator for 30 years or so.).

 

[Chief00]

I think you’re referring to labor arbitration. (Don’t hit me, but I was a labor arbitrator for 30 years or so.).

Yes, that’s the official name.
Why is this such a big issue for the union?
It seems so out of step with the rest of the country in major sports given head and associate coach’s compensation today.

 

[BullDawg]

Yes, that’s the official name.
Why is this such a big issue for the union?
It seems so out of step with the rest of the country in major sports given head and associate coach’s compensation today.

In general, labor arbitration is the quid pro quo for giving up the right to strike for the duration of the contract. As to why coaches are in the bargaining unit, that likely goes back to the days when they on some sort of staff positions (paid partly out of state funds and also out of foundation funds). As has been stated, this can only been changed when the new contract is negotiated.

 

[Chief00]

In general, labor arbitration is the quid pro quo for giving up the right to strike for the duration of the contract. As to why coaches are in the bargaining unit, that likely goes back to the days when they on some sort of staff positions (paid partly out of state funds and also out of foundation funds). As has been stated, this can only been changed when the new contract is negotiated.

Form a new corporation or LLC and have them hire our major coaches.
If the CDRA can name the building we play in, a similar organization can hire our coaches?

 

[BullDawg]

Just looked at the Collective Bargaining Agreement and Coaches aren’t in bargaining unit now.

 

[huskymedic]

Just looked at the Collective Bargaining Agreement and Coaches aren’t in bargaining unit now.View attachment 109989

Head to Article 1 and Article 37 of current agreement w/ AAUP: https://hr.media.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2597/2024/04/AAUP-contract-7-1-21-6-30-25.pdf

 

[BullDawg]

Head to Article 1 and Article 37 of current agreement w/ AAUP: https://hr.media.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2597/2024/04/AAUP-contract-7-1-21-6-30-25.pdf

Thanks!

 

[BullDawg]

So, @Chief00, in light of what @huskymedic showed me, I see that coaches are in this bargaining unit. To respond to your previous question, most highly paid individuals would prefer to participate in the state run employee benefits (thinking about health insurance and pension plans here, most of these are partially funded by the state, at least that’s true here in Florida). So, there would be a need to have coverage of these by whatever entity did the hiring. There are likely other issues that would need to be considered, such as the status of non-state employees on campus. Interestingly, coaches at South Florida are not in the bargaining unit that covers faculty, etc. There must be an interesting history behind their original inclusion at UCONN. In Florida, employees can’t be required to pay union dues (a so-called Right to Work State), so there’s no financial incentive for the union to want to include them in the unit here; few, if any of them would become dues paying members. I would say that the interests of coaches are vastly different from others in this bargaining unit, but obviously, no one asked me.

 

[Rashadsmask]

FYI there is a new email to season ticket holders regarding the renovations to both facilities. If you have opinions regarding reseating, you can let them know how pleased that you are with your new seats!

 

[Chief00]

So, @Chief00, in light of what @huskymedic showed me, I see that coaches are in this bargaining unit. To respond to your previous question, most highly paid individuals would prefer to participate in the state run employee benefits (thinking about health insurance and pension plans here, most of these are partially funded by the state, at least that’s true here in Florida). So, there would be a need to have coverage of these by whatever entity did the hiring. There are likely other issues that would need to be considered, such as the status of non-state employees on campus. Interestingly, coaches at South Florida are not in the bargaining unit that covers faculty, etc. There must be an interesting history behind their original inclusion at UCONN. In Florida, employees can’t be required to pay union dues (a so-called Right to Work State), so there’s no financial incentive for the union to want to include them in the unit here; few, if any of them would become dues paying members. I would say that the interests of coaches are vastly different from others in this bargaining unit, but obviously, no one asked me.

Your conclusion is logical and unfortunately that’s not the operating mode here.