UPDATE: On May 10, 2018, President Paul Haber announced that, “I’m pleased to inform you that the UFA membership has voted to ratify the contract. As usual procedure, our UFA-embossed ballots were sent out Fri 4/27 with a 10-day turnaround, and opened and counted in meeting open to any/all members on Tuesday. The contract was approved by a 93% yes vote.”
Here is the link to the Collective Bargaining Agreement
Below is a summary of the most important changes:
COMPENSATION CBA Article 13.000
(This article will be open for negotiation again for 7/1/19—6/30/21.
- Normal Increases, CBA 13.220: No raise this FY 18. Increase to base salary of 2% effective February 1, 2019. As contract states, for the first year only of the increase (FY 19), the increase is only paid for 4 months for AY faculty and 5 months for FY faculty. The 2% base increase will accrue fully in every year after FY 19.
- Merits and Promotions CBA 13.230-240: Remain the same as current CBA. 80 $2,500 Merits; Promotion to Associate $3,500; Promotion to Full $6,500. All Merits and Promotions for this FY were effective retroactively to 10/1/17 and appeared in 4/1/18 paychecks. All Merits and Promotions for FY 19 will be effective and paid 10/1/18. Also specifies for first time that FY faculty promotions are adjusted by factor of 1.22, the standard FY>AY conversion ratio.
- Outstanding Performance Awards for Non-Tenurable Faculty CBA 13.245. Continuation of NTT OPA’s from last contract but the first inclusion in Article 13.000 of CBA. 10 $2,500 one-time payments (bonus—not increase to base) to outstanding NTT faculty in FY 18 and in FY 19.
- Inversion/Compression CBA 13.260: Up to $1,000 base salary increases to 125 faculty determined by I/C List, approved by UFA, for FY 18; Up to $1,000 base salary increases to 150 faculty determined by I/C List for FY 19. FY 18 I/C increases will appear in May 2018 checks.
OTHER:
- Union Security CBA 3.200: Improved language and clearer mechanisms for new faculty joining UFA. (Obviously, not much application in current climate, but good for long run!)
- Faculty Equipment CBA 4.220: All faculty guaranteed new computers at least every 4 years.
- Academic Responsibility CBA 6.200: A more careful articulation of faculty advising and mentoring rights and responsibilities and clearer distinction between advising and mentoring.
- Unit Standards for Faculty Evaluation CBA 10.120: Specifies that advising and mentoring, and student recruitment and retention activities, will be given consideration in faculty evaluation.
- Student Evaluation Committee CBA 10.220: Allows individual units more latitude to designate the degree of required course evaluation in their Unit Standards.
- Departmental Chairpersons CBA 16.200: New language specifies that all units identified in contract must have a departmental chairperson.
CONTROVERSIAL:
- We bargain directly with the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE). OCHE had a strong interest in having us agree to changes they proposed that would have given Admin the right to terminate tenure and tenure track faculty without regard to seniority in an annual review at a rate tied to revenue declines. They presented various different proposals and the UFA refused all of them. We did agree to participate in a non-binding task force that would review Section 18.000 in anticipation of the next bargaining round that will begin next year. It’s important that members note that this task force is non-binding and will restrict itself to making observations and perhaps recommendations to be considered in the next bargaining round. The UFA will keep membership informed regarding this process.
For the UFA 2016-18 Bargaining Team: Lead Negotiator Phil Condon, President Paul Haber, Grievance Officer Alex Bulmahn, Bargaining Team Member Diane Friend.