Your UFF-UCF Bargaining Team was back in session this morning, negotiating the topic of leaves with the UCF Board of Trustees team. From paid parental leave to sick leave and administrative leaves, our contracts provide us with leaves in order to refresh, recover, and meet the obligations of life.
Leave is not a gift, it is compensation for our work. When we take leave, we are using what we have earned, not something that has been given to us. The right to take leave, rather than the right to ask for leave, is a core value of our faculty union.
This bargaining session, the 28th of the current contract negotiations, ended with a few significant gains. The BOT tentatively accepted (or “TA’ed”) Article 17 of our contracts, which preserves our current parental leave for instructional and non-instructional faculty.
Parental leave for non-instructional faculty members will be lengthened from 13 weeks to 16 weeks. Non-instructional faculty members include UCF’s Librarians and the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) team, to name a few. This tentative BOT/UFF-UCF acceptance will become official once the final contract is signed and voted on by the entire UCF faculty.
Our bargaining conversation today also included plans to later reopen two types of leave in our contract, after it is closed and signed. These “reopeners” will allow us to discuss compulsory leave (which the BOT expressed they want to discuss more), and family leave (which UFF-UCF wants to discuss more).
Family leave is an important issue gaining interest in both our union and on the BOT, as it expands “parental leave” beyond the parents of children to include all family needs, such as family illnesses. Compulsory leave will be reexamined to ensure the rights of faculty members are maintained.
We will continue to keep you informed as bargaining continues into the summer. All faculty members are welcome to attend the bargainings sessions, and the full list can be found on our Bargaining page.
Our next bargaining session is Tuesday, May 21, at 10:00 a.m. in EDU 305. The bargaining process is about much more than salaries. From intellectual property to leaves from work, your UFF-UCF faculty union is standing up for the rights and benefits of every faculty member, every year. Email president@uffucf.org with questions or feedback.
Below is a list of those who attended today.
UFF-UCF Bargaining Team (The Faculty Union):
- Jennifer Sandoval – UFF-UCF Chief Negotiator
- Yovanna Pineda – UFF-UCF Treasurer
- Scott Launier – UFF-UCF President
- John Raible – UFF-UCF Bargaining Team
- John Fauth (phone) – UFF-UCF Bargaining Team
UCF BOT Bargaining Team (The University):
- Sherry Andrews – Sherry Andrews, UCF Associate General Counsel
- Sara H. Potter – UCF Associate General Counsel
- Michael Mattimore – UCF Employment Lawyer, Managing Partner of Allen Norton & Blue, P.A.
- Charles “Chuck” Reilly – UCF Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
- Charlie Piper – UCF Assistant Director, Contract Compliance and Administrator Support
Session Guests:
- Michael Armato – UFF-UCF Secretary
- Dave Plotkin – UFF-UCF Communications
- Briannis Weston – UCF Administrative Assistant, Office of the Provost
- Ben Anderson – UCF Assistant Director, Leave Administration
- Ashley Longoria – UCF HR Associate Director, Benefits & Leave Administration
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