Update On FSU Contract Negotiations

3/7/2023

Dear Colleagues,

Greetings from the FSU Core Bargaining Team (CBT). We will start bargaining our 2023-2026 contract with the administration later this Spring and have some important updates to share with you.

Our first session with the administration is scheduled for March 29, from 1-4pm in the Campus Center room 3540. Consistent with our commitment to expanded bargaining, back in January we proposed to allow up to 30 FSU members to observe bargaining sessions in-person (and participate in our team caucuses) and a live stream, so those who can’t be there in person but want to see what’s discussed can watch it. We are still waiting for their response. 

In order to expedite bargaining (last time it took about 2 years!), the Core Bargaining Team and admin are planning to exchange proposals later this month, before we start bargaining. We are currently developing proposals based on the results from the survey we conducted last fall, meetings with campus groups, and proposals that we were unable to get admin to agree to in the 2020-2023 contract bargaining round.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey we sent out late last fall – we got over 200 responses! One of the most important findings from the survey is that UMB faculty and librarians are concerned about pay and benefits, which quite simply have not kept up with the rising cost of living in Boston. We are preparing robust proposals to substantially increase salaries, better support international faculty through the Visa and Green card process, provide significant summer stipends to GPDs and DUGS, lower the time to continuing contracts for NTT faculty, and more. Please stay tuned for more on the specifics of our proposals.

We have a Contract Action Team (CAT) to help us. The CAT will be participating on the expanded team observing bargaining sessions, doing some research to support the CBT proposals, and communication/outreach with members. If you are interested being part of the CAT, please reply to this email or fsu@umb.edu

We will be in touch again soon with an update on the status of expanded bargaining.

Please share your thoughts. This is your union.

Sincerely,

Core Bargaining Team

Caroline Coscia, Political Science, Senior Lecturer II

Katie D’Urso, MTA Field Representative

Ellen Frank, Economics Department, Senior Lecturer

Jessica Holden, Healey Library, Librarian III

Lorenzo Nencioli, FSU Senior Staff Member

Jason Rodriquez, Sociology Department, Associate Professor

Brian White, Biology Department, Associate Professor