Bargaining Update

 A) As of the meeting, the legislature had not approved any additional funding for bargaining contracts.  They were waiting for outstanding contracts from the other unions, including the CSU and PSU, to deliver as a bundle to House Ways and Means Committee.  Management did not have a clear sense of what the delay means in terms of the contract.  The President’s Office has only said it is working on getting the legislature to approve a supplementary budget.  The union requested that administration convey to the governors’ office that there is very little time and to please stop holding our contract up.    If you have not already done so, contact your legislators HERE  to have them approve the contract.  This is the first step in this process.  Funding will be next.  Please stay tuned for updates from the union.

 

 B) The Union is requesting a definitive answer concerning what elements of the contract will not be implemented if the legislature does not approve additional funding.  Management indicated that regardless of the legislative outcome, non-financial terms will be honored. Management indicated that the campuses continue moving ahead with the merit process so that when the money comes merit can be distributed immediately.  Please stay tuned for updates from the union.

 

2) Conversion Process:

 

 A) The union sought confirmation that lecturers with just cause protection will be automatically given continuing appointments if they are half time or greater.  Individuals who already have just cause on UMB will not lose it and it would be administratively much easier to extend continuing contracts to those faculty with just cause who are half time or greater.  John Bryan, heading management’s team, was “positively disposed to this” but needed to check with UMB administrators before confirmation.

 

 B) Since the 2014-2017 agreement has not been implemented yet, the Union sought clarification on Lecturers who have been promoted under the terms of the 2012-2014 agreement since July 2014. Administration indicated that NTT promoted under the old agreement during the delay in implementation of the new agreement will be converted to the new rank corresponding to the promotion under the old agreement, retroactive to the date at which that promotion occurred. This includes members who amassed enough time at the end of the Fall 14 semester to be promoted to a new rank or to post-probationary status as of the start of the Spring 15 semester.  Thus, for example, a Lecturer I who is promoted to Lecturer II in December of 2014 will be converted to the new Lecturer rank, retroactive to July 2014 then promoted to Senior Lecturer rank retroactive to December 2014.  

 

 C) The Union sought to have management agree to the following language “Any unit member who will be financially harmed as a result of conversion from calendar year to FTE equivalency for promotion shall be held harmless upon that unit member providing such evidence.”  Management would not agree to this because they believe the request to be a reopening of contract negotiations (rebargaining). 

 

 D) The Union's position regarding time in service for calculations of eligibility for just cause, continuing contracts, promotions, order of layoff, etc. is that since previous contracts stipulated length of service in calendar years (rather than FTE years), service undertaken during those contracts should be credited to unit members in calendar years (i.e. equivalent to the same number of years at 100% FTE).  Service in years covered by the current contract (2014-2017) shall be assessed in FTE years.

 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the FSU.   

 

Sincerely,

The FSU Bargaining Team

 

Christopher Fung

Marlene Kim

Jonathan Millman

Tina Mullins

Lorenzo Nencioli

Rachel Rubin

Amy Todd

Michelle Gallagher