Vote on your 2017-20 contract now

7/11/2018

Dear FSU Members,

The FSU has arrived at a tentative agreement with the administration on our contract, everything except parking.  To move the agreement to adoption and implementation requires a vote by FSU members.  This email explains the ratification voting process.

The Elections Committee will conduct the ratification vote.

Each member will receive a ballot sent by Ballotbin which is the software we use for our elections (please check your spam and promotions folders in addition to your inbox for the email from Ballotbin).  All members will receive a single ballot where you will be given two options.  One is to vote to ratify the contract and the other is not to ratify the contract.  

How do I make an informed decision? Over the past two weeks, the FSU sent each member a full contract, a contract summary and a compare and contrast of the 2014-2017 to the 2017-2020 contract document.  The FSU also held an informational meeting on July 10^th to discuss the contract. Attached is the contract language (see Word documents at end of this page), the contract summary (also below) and the compare/contrast document with the 2014-2017 contract (note: there have been a few minor typographical changes in the documents since they were sent last week). The FSU Executive Committee has voted unanimously to recommend that members ratify the proposed 2017-2020 contract.

If the majority of FSU members who vote choose to ratify the contract, this means that the agreed upon language is now adopted and can be implemented. This also means our 2017-2018 pay increase funds can be sought from the Commonwealth.  In addition, all other contract articles will go into effect. 

If the majority of FSU members who vote choose not to ratify the contract then the contract will not be adopted and the parties will have to return to the table to renegotiate the terms and conditions of your 2017-2020 contract. 

Voting timeline:  The Elections Committee will send the ballots no later than Thursday morning, July 12^th.  Voting closes at 12PM on Thursday, July 19^th.

Voting results:  The results of the vote count will be shared with the members by email in the afternoon of July 19^th.

Thank you for voting and if you do not receive your ballot by July 13^th, please email an Elections Committee member for assistance  caroline.coscia@umb.edu or sofya.aptekar@umb.edu

FSU Elections Committee:

Sofya Aptekar 

Caroline Coscia 

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

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The FSU and the Administration have reached agreement on your 2017-2020 contract. We were successful in securing a number of positive gains and in fending off a number of potential take backs (such as on workload and academic freedom)-- all this despite a bleak economic climate at UMB and the Administration’s goal, articulated at the start of bargaining, of seeking contractual language that would have increased managerial rights. 

We will provide members as soon as possible with final contract language. In the meantime, an overview of the agreement is below:

Salaries

• July 2017- 2% cost of living raise (to be applied retroactively)
• July 2018- 2% cost of living raise
• July 2019- 2% cost of living raise

Given the low salary increases for UMass employees statewide (2% per year), we negotiated to have total raises be applied as cost of living, rather than have a portion allocated for merit.

Parking

• We agreed to continue to bargain parking in the fall while ratifying everything else in order to get your pay increases.

Tenure Track Faculty

• Research Intensive Semester (RIS)- the Administration will provide the FSU with a list of each college’s formal RIS policy or its equivalent. The parties will then negotiate to attempt to create an RIS or its equivalent in colleges/schools where RIS is not in place.

Lecturers

• Possibility of a 3/4 full-time teaching load for Senior Lecturer II’s with 1/4 time for either service or scholarship.
• ‘Help not hurt’ service and scholarship- NTT who do service or scholarship that is not a part of their salaried work may have such work considered positively for promotions and Pool B (Dean’s pool) merit. NTT who do not perform such work (unless they are paid to perform this work) will not be penalized in either merit or promotional consideration.
• Clarified language regarding continuity of service and accrual of time.

Clinical Nursing Faculty

• Clinical Associate Lecturers= Associate Lecturers who teach primarily clinical instruction need licensure. All other provisions particular to Associate Lecturers will apply.
• Clinical Lecturer, All Ranks= Lecturers who teach, do clinical practice, need licensure; those who do dept/college service and no scholarship, can be moved to 3/4 at any time. If they are reduced below 3/4 to do ‘greater than normal’ service, they will be evaluated accordingly; they will need to provide names of 2 external scholars/professionals for promotion review if they have a reduction in teaching due to service/scholarship of practice (2 additional names to be provided by the Chair). All other provisions particular to Lecturers, all ranks, will apply.
• Clinical Professor, All Ranks (‘Scholarship of Practice’ track)-

1. Workload- Those who teach clinical instruction need licensure; those who perform dept/college service, engagement in scholarship of practice, will be 3/4. If they are reduced below 3/4 to do ‘greater than normal’ service, they will be evaluated accordingly.
2. Appointments- Appointments are normally full-time. Initial appointments are for 1, 2, or 4 years. One must have a terminal degree. Replacement of Senior Lecturer and Senior Lecturer II language by TT faculty will apply to Clinical faculty. Clinical Asst Profs can apply for Clinical Assoc after 6 FTE years.
3. Promotions- One will need to provide the names of 2 external scholars/professionals for promotion review if you have a reduction in teaching due to service/scholarship of practice (2 additional names to be provided by Chair).
4. Travel Funds- will now be eligible for funds in Article 26 (previously applied to tenure track faculty only).

All other provisions particular to Lecturers, all ranks, will apply.

Librarians

• An exception clause was added to the minimum years of service to allow librarians to apply for promotion earlier in special circumstances.
• Procedures were added so that librarians can negotiate a stipend or salary increase for internal appointments that require more supervisory and/or managerial responsibilities.
• The Annual Report and Evaluation for Librarians, will now be called the Annual Librarian Report and Evaluation of Professional Activities to align with the faculty. The report also adds language to clarify professorial activities.

Distance Education

• Right of first refusal with $500 licensing fee if you elect not to teach the course and someone else teaches it. 
• Development fee of $3000
• Retainment of Intellectual Property Rights
• Obligation to negotiate when course offering is to be delivered by multiple faculty

CAPS

• Bargaining unit fall/spring collapsed into the main unit with new definition of CAPS courses as those offered between 3:00 pm Friday and Sunday, all courses off site, and Winter/Summer sessions.
• Salary increase for Summer/Winter from $4201/$4578 to a single rate of $4500 for Associate Lecturers (current rate preserved) and $5100 for all other faculty.
• Priority Lists – A clarified seniority assignment system for summer/winter courses based on total number of s/w courses taught. Those with seniority standing will continue to be guaranteed up to two courses in the summer and up to one in the winter, subject to department course availability.

Union/Member Rights

• Sexual harassment now covered by union dismissal procedures.
• Labor/Management Committee to review sexual harassment/ODI procedures and standard of proof for all dismissal cases. Faculty are not required to be mandatory reporters of sexual harassment but are encouraged to report these. 
• Obligation of the administration to use progressive discipline before dismissing faculty. 
• Language changes to information provided to the FSU in pursuit of member recruitment.
• Clarification of current release sections for union activity directly related to FSU activities.

Member Benefits

• Tuition Waiver - Increased benefit for spousal and dependent benefits to 60% if you have worked at UMB for over two years.
• Phased Retirement - Established phased retirement agreement for up to 2 years at 50% FTE or greater.