Bargaining Update – Research Intensive Semester and More!

3/31/2022

Dear FSU Members,

The FSU is close to finalizing and signing the 2020-2023 contract that you ratified earlier this year.   As we noted, after ratification there still remains some contract language issues/cleanup to take care of as well as addressing a series of implementation issues – all before the document can be signed (we’ll post the 20-23 contract on our website when final language is completed). Please see here for an overall summary of the 20-23 contract and here for details about the new rank of Senior Lecturer III and course load reduction for full-time Senior Lecturer II’s.   In the meantime, a couple of quick updates.

Research Intensive Semester (RIS)  – The FSU (and many faculty) have been pushing for a Research Intensive Semester for years.  It was finally achieved in this round of bargaining – meaning that all new TT faculty will be given a Research Intensive Semester (i.e. two course releases) before coming up for tenure.   Once this was agreed upon, a question then arose:  What about those junior faculty who are already here, and arrived under a different set of rules (typically, where they could only get a RIS if they taught additional courses in subsequent semesters).   Good news.  The Administration has agreed with the FSU that faculty who are already at UMass Boston and arrived under prior arrangements for piecing together a Research Intensive Semester will be “held harmless” going forward.   Junior faculty who are already here and have taken their RIS will not have to pay back courses if “owed” under a previous arrangement.  Similarly, for those faculty who are already here but have not taken their RIS – they will now be subject to the new system/rules for the RIS (i.e. where the RIS is granted and does not have to be paid back with future courses).  The Administration is moving forward with this “hold harmless” logic as it implements the new RIS.

Implementation of Cost of Living Raises, Salary Floors, and Promotional Raises- We will follow up with members when we have more information on when the UMB Administration will be implementing the cost items of the new contract.  It is moving forward in the legislature and should be funded relatively soon.

FSU

For information on the FSU, links to our contract and bargaining updates, and a calendar of events, see the FSU webpage