Fourteen March marked the union’s first round of collective bargaining at Osaka Gaigo Senmon Gakko. This year the General Union has teamed up with Naniwa union which represents mostly full time teachers and staff to demand a five percent increase in wages and a guarantee of one month bonus twice per year. This is in the face of a lack of pay raises or many years and a fall in bonus for full time teachers from 2 months per year to 0.12 months per year. The unions have demanded full disclosure of the school’s finances. Understanding that all senmon gakkos have been drastically hurt by falling enrollment the union not only wants to know the employer’s financial situation does not allow a pay increase, but how they tend to deal with this problem to halt falling wages for teachers and staff. The union believes that only through open and democratic collective bargaining over wages can the employer work out a future plan as opposed to simple hand wringing over their current economic situation.