by Nick Shrubsole | Mar 1, 2022 | Bargaining
Greetings all, the ratification of the CBA 2021-2024 ended just before midnight last night. The vote was Yes – 391, No – 20, Abstain – 0, the ratification of our new contract passes the bargaining unit. The CBA will next go to the UCF Board of Trustees for a vote and if it passes it will become our next contract.
I want to thank everyone who voted in this ratification.
I want to thank the bargaining team, Talat Rahman, John Raible, Yovanna Pineda, Kevin Coffey, Latarsha Chisholm, Lisa Danker Kritzer, Alfons Schulte, Beatriz Reyes Foster and Monique Levermore. Thanks also to Claudia Schippert who assisted us with Grievance related items in the CBA and Nick Shrubsole who made sure our CBA page was updated quickly so you all could be informed after each session. If you know any of these people please show them your thanks and appreciation for their efforts during the fifteen and half months of negotiations.
Most of them volunteered their time in regular bargaining sessions and weekly team meetings.
A big thanks to all the people who showed up each week to our bargaining sessions to support our bargaining team, we are grateful and in your debt for this unprecedented support.
Our union works best when you are engaged and the CBA process demonstrated that we are interested and we are engaged.
In solidarity,
Robert Cassanello
UFF-UCF, President
by Nick Shrubsole | Feb 16, 2022 | Bargaining
Preface: Since November 2021, UFF-UCF have been negotiating the CBA 2021-2024 on your behalf. UFF has fought for wage increases, and maintaining the rights we currently enjoy in our contract. Our salary proposals are available online at our website https://www.uffucf.org/bargaining/. (Under the “Tentative Agreement” column) The audio and Zoom recordings are available at the UCF Collective Bargaining website https://collectivebargaining.ucf.edu/allminutes.asp, organized by the date of the session or you may request them from the administration, cpiper@ucf.edu.The TA articles also appear at the UCF Collective Bargaining Agreement website here https://collectivebargaining.ucf.edu/Proposals2021-2024.asp (look for the “TA Date column”).
Summary of Changes:
Major Changes:
Article 23 Salaries: We have agreed to a 2.5% raise for those making more than $48,500 and those less will receive a 3.5% raise. Added to that will be a $2,500 one time payment. These funds will be distributed May 6, 2022. Administrative discretionary increases will be available until August 31, 2024.
Articles 22 Sabbaticals: Clearer language when an employee is eligible to apply
Employees must be tenured at time of application. After being awarded a sabbatical, an employee may change the terms of the sabbatical upon approval from supervisor and dean.
Clearer language on how an employee is evaluated when on sabbatical. Professional Development Leave: Clearer language when an employee is eligible to apply. Updated language on how to rank employees. Introduced a penalty for not completing the project listed on application
Minor Changes:
Article 3: Removed outdated language about course releases from 2019
Article 9: Changed Assignment Dispute Resolution filing deadline from 30 days to 14 days.
Article 10: Requires a Cumulative Progress Evaluation to apply for Professor rank. Lists specific position classifications on who performs annual evaluations.
Article 14: Cumulative Progress Evaluation limited to individuals applying for Professor rank.
Article 15: Updated Board of Trustees tenure vote to last board meeting of academic year. Rephrased tenure criteria. Updated transfer tenure language
Article 17: Excess Annual Leave may roll over in the first or second pay period of January, Added Intent to Return to work paperwork requirement. Removed language allowing employees to buyback sick leave if rehired.
Article 20: Step 1 process produces a report. Clarification of university and UFF’s rights on timeliness of filing a grievance.
Article 31: Change to No Obligation to bargain language
Definitions: Updated months
No Changes-Status Quo:
Articles 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29
Rationale: Ratifying this agreement will conclude Full Book negotiations for the CBA 2021-2024 and give us a contract with defined rights and expectations until the end of 2024.
by Nick Shrubsole | Feb 9, 2022 | Bargaining, News
Bargaining & Ratification
We believe we have reached a final negotiation for the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) 2021-2024. Right now this agreement is verbal and awaiting final signatures, public access to the final article language and one last bargaining session on Wednesday February 16 at 1:30pm, so it is not yet final.
At this last meeting we will finalize Article 30 and sign off on any outstanding articles we have agreed to and post them on the CBA webpage so they are all available to you. We anticipate the entire tentative agreement will be live and online by 4pm on February 16. I will send out a link when all the articles to the tentative agreement are live.
We have a verbally agreed to a 2.5% raise for those making more than $48,500 and those less will receive a 3.5% raise. Added to that will be a $2,500 one time payment. These funds will be distributed May 6, 2022.
We will host an online ratification for this CBA from Monday February 21 at 8am until February 28 at 11:59pm. Directions for how to vote and access to the ballot will come in a subsequent email closer to the ratification date will also host two Ratification Town Halls, the first Friday February 18 at 11:30am and the second Tuesday February 22 at 4:30pm. At these Town Halls the bargaining team and I will be there to answer any questions you might have about the CBA. By law we cannot ask or encourage you to vote yes or no, we can only encourage you to vote. These town halls are going to be informational in nature, not organizing meetings.
Everyone in the bargaining unit are eligible to vote in the ratification, you don’t have to be a union member to vote on the CBA. Since the CBA impacts everyone, casting your vote is encouraged.
The final bargaining session for this CBA will be on Wednesday February 16 at 1:30pm. We will finalize the remaining articles including Article 30. If you wish to attend and support the bargaining team use this link to the virtual meeting https://events.ucf.edu/event/2317421/faculty-collective-bargaining-notice/
Legislative Update
SB 520: Public Records and Public Meetings-this bill would allow president searches for public colleges and universities to be exempt from public records legislation. It would move presidential searches into the dark until the end of the process. Right now this legislation was heading for a floor vote in the Senate on Thursday February 3, but has been moved for a Senate vote today (February 9). You can follow the bill here
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/520 The House version is still in various committees waiting a final vote in the Senate before it moves out of committee.
HB 7051: Postsecondary Education is a new draft bill introduced in committee. This bill requires colleges and universities to keep a public record for 5 years on books assigned and any other instructional material for each class. Additionally it requires public colleges and universities to seek accreditation from a different accreditation agency every five years. [https://myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=76626]
There is a Senate companion to this bill SB 7044: Postsecondary Education. [https://myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=76623&] Both bill are in committee in their respective bodies.
HB 1197: Employee Organizations Representing Public Employees-This is the draft bill from last year that failed to pass which would require public employee unions to have over 50% membership for certification but it would exclude police and fire departments. It is moving in various committees in the House while the Senate version is not moving yet. Right now it is in the House State Administration and Technology Appropriations Subcommittee. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/1197
There still is no draft bill abolishing or revising tenure at public universities with the legislature.
In Solidarity,
Robert Cassanello
UFF-UCF, President
by Nick Shrubsole | Jan 18, 2022 | Bargaining, News
Bargaining Update
We will be having our next bargaining session tomorrow Wednesday January 19 at 1:30pm. You can come to the session virtual at https://events.ucf.edu/event/2317411/faculty-collective-bargaining/
At the last session we agreed on a couple of articles and came close to some language on others. We plan to present a new Article 23 Salaries which I will update you after the session. We have not heard any updates to our rejection to Article 16 with a back door end to tenure by giving UCF the ability to ignore progressive discipline.
Many of you have joined us at these bargaining sessions and we on the bargaining team want to thank you for showing us and UCF your support of the team.
Masks
Many of you picked up N-95 masks in the past week. We still have more, we will distribute them until they run out. If you would like more masks I will leave them outside my office in a container on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9-5pm until they are gone. My office is in Trevor Colbourn Hall Room 348K. [https://map.ucf.edu/?show=123] My office is inside the Women and Gender Studies Suite which is 348.
Legislative Update
The Florida Legislature convened for this session and the draft bills we tracked in November and December are now at various committees. Currently there is no draft bill abolishing or reforming tenure so far in this session. Below are some of the legislation that we are following and directly impact higher education in Florida which may be of interest to you.
SB 520: Public Records and Public Meetings-this bill would allow president searches for public colleges and universities to be exempt from public records legislation. It would move presidential searches into the dark until the end of the process. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/520 this is the House version: HB 703: Pub. Rec. and Meetings/Postsecondary Education Executive Search https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/703 Both bills will be heard in their first committees in their respective bodies this week.
HB 6077: Postsecondary Intellectual Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity & SB 810: Education This bill will repeal the legislation from last year which included the “intellectual diversity” survey, the student right to record lectures etc. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/6077 and https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/810 The House Bill has been read and referred to various education committees and in the Senate the bill have been introduced to the Judiciary, Education and Rules committees.
SB 242 & HB 57: Racial and Sexual Discrimination and Governor DeSantis introduced Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act. These draft bills are similar and will probably be combined later. SB 242 and HB 57 has been read in the Senate and the House respectively. These bills will ban various kinds of workshops and trainings around “divisive concepts” such as race, sex and gender. Governor DeSantis’ proposed legislation would go further and ban these ideas, theories and concepts from the classroom (K-12) and give parents the right to sue a school system if there is a violation of this proposed legislation.
(W.O.K.E.) Act: https://www.flgov.com/2021/12/15/governor-desantis-announces-legislative-proposal-to-stop-w-o-k-e-activism-and-critical-race-theory-in-schools-and-corporations/
HB57: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/57
SB 242: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/242/?Tab=RelatedBills
SB 666: State University Student Fee Waivers This bill would reduce student fees for graduate students at public universities who are also employed with the university. This bill has been read in the Senate. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/666 There are similar bills in the Senate and House so should this continue these various bills might get combined.
SB 1458: Employee Organizations & HB 1197: Employee Organizations Representing Public Employees Both these bills were introduced at the beginning of this current legislative session in January 2022. They are the same draft legislation that went through the last legislative session in 2021 and failed at the 11th hour. This would require public unions (except law enforcement and firefighters) to maintain 50% membership density or decertify. The Senate bill has been referred to the Judiciary, Governmental Oversight and Accountability & Appropriations committees and the House bill has been read into the session.
SB 1458: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/1458
HB 1197: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/1197
HB 6007– Licenses to Carry Concealed Weapons or Firearms (Guns on Campus) Is now in Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee, referred to Post-Secondary Education & Lifelong Learning Subcommittee, and Judiciary Committees. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/6007
As this and other legislation makes its way through the process I will update you.
In Solidarity,
Robert Cassanello,
President, UFF-UCF
by Nick Shrubsole | Dec 14, 2021 | Bargaining
Bargaining Session Dec. 15 @ 1:30pm
We will have another bargaining session on December 15, 2021 at 1:30pm. You can access the virtual meeting link here: https://events.ucf.edu/event/2279554/faculty-collective-bargaining/
This Bargaining Session is important, we encourage everyone to attend. Bargaining meetings at UCF are public, and more participation sends a message of our concern about our future contract. We have been trying to negotiate a raise for our bargaining unit in an environment of a higher cost of living and inflation that is eating away at our base salary. The administration has not budged beyond their original 2.5% offer. We submitted our salary proposal in February 2021 while continuing to bargain other articles, leaving the rest of the contract for later in the year, but UCF administrators said no: there would be no compensation until the entire contract is negotiated. Then, late in this bargaining sequence, the administration proposed article revisions that are unacceptable: they would change the nature of our work as we know it. Many of you are concerned about lawmakers in Tallahassee abolishing or changing the nature of tenure. So far, that threat is not at the capital but it is local; the administration’s proposed changes to the Disciplinary Article (16) with the right for UCF to have “discipline start with suspension or termination.” Our Bargaining Team will work hard to keep the rights we already enjoy and get the best compensation package we can during these full-book negotiations.
So, to protect our working conditions, we continue to fight. In the meantime, we have not gotten a raise since 2019 while other workers and administrators at UCF have received raises: the UCF Police received a well-deserved 3% raise in 2020, and President Cartwright received a $197,000 bonus last month. Like you, we would like to see raises sooner than later. So we need your support in making it clear to our administration that we care and are concerned.
Please come out to Bargaining on December 15 at 1:30pm and support our Bargaining Team.
You can access the virtual meeting link here: https://events.ucf.edu/event/2279554/faculty-collective-bargaining/
In Solidarity,
Robert Cassanello,
UFF-UCF, President
by Nick Shrubsole | Dec 8, 2021 | Bargaining
Bargaining Session Dec. 15 @ 1:30pm
Below is the UFF-UCF Bargaining Update. We will have another bargaining session on December 15, 2021 at 1:30pm. You can access the virtual meeting link here: https://events.ucf.edu/event/2279554/faculty-collective-bargaining/
The December 1 Bargaining Session
The December 1 Bargaining Session was eventful in that UCF is continuing to push many changes the BOT want to see in the contract all at one time. The nature of these changes, the number of changes and the tangible rights preserved in the contract UCF wishes to abolish makes us certain we will be bargaining this contract well into the spring. Unfortunately UCF has stated they will not agree to raises until the full contract is negotiated, otherwise we could deliver raises and one time payments while we negotiate the rest of the contract. Our (UFF’s) position is to negotiate the best working conditions possible, including salary. If you could not attend you can listen to the recording of the session here: https://www.collectivebargaining.ucf.edu/minutes/2021-2024FB/Audio/2021.12.01.wav
Article 23 Salaries
UCF responded to our previous proposal of a 3% raise with again a 2.5% counter. https://www.uffucf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/23BOT03120121.pdf Our bargaining team submitted a new proposal of a 3.5% raise paid for by reducing Administrative Discretionary Increases (ADIs) to a cost of 0.
https://www.uffucf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/23UFF04120121.pdf
We will hear their response at the December 15th session.
Article 17 Leaves
Also UCF wants to end the sick leave payout to employees hired the academic year following adoption of the contract (presumably fall 2022). What UCF wants to reduce in the Leave Article is a reduction of paid parental leave for 12-month employees from 16 weeks to 6 weeks. You can read their draft proposal for yourselves here. https://www.uffucf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/17BOT03111021.pdf
Article 16 Letters of Counsel Disciplinary Action, and Job Abandonment
UCF wants to reduce the time one can appeal a disciplinary action from 14 days to just 7 days. UCF also wants the following: “Employees who exhibit repeated examples of different types of misconduct may receive more severe discipline. Progressive discipline does not have to initiate with a written reprimand; if circumstances warrant, discipline may start with suspension or termination.“ This could be the end of progressive discipline if it can start with a suspension or termination, not letter of instruction or counsel preceding. You can read their proposal here. https://www.uffucf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/16BOT01120121.pdf
Article 22 Sabbaticals and Professional Development Programs
UCF wants to reduce the number of possible semesters available for Sabbaticals for Non Tenure Earning Faculty from the option of one semester or two semesters at three-fourths page to only one semester. Only 4 faculty members took Professional Development Leave yet UCF wants these changes because of only 4 people. https://www.uffucf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/22BOT04102721.pdf
Article 13 Layoff and Recall
UCF wants to change Layoff Considerations by moving tenure track employees into the category of non-tenured employees. Currently tenure track employees are categorized with tenured employees during layoff considerations. Please look over the UCF proposal here: https://www.uffucf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/13BOT02120121.pdf
Article 12 Non-Reappointment
UCF wants to introduce a secondary date for non-reappointment for non-tenured faculty. Currently non-reappointed faculty have to be notified by September 30, but UCF wants to add a secondary date of January 31 which could render September 30 irrelevant since both notices would result in the same termination date. https://www.uffucf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/12BOT03120121.pdf
Keep Yourself Informed
Our Bargaining Team is working hard to maintain the rights already in our contract. These articles represent the greatest challenge to us in these current full book negotiations. Please look them over and read over the language so you know how all this impacts you. Please reach out to us if you have any comments or concerns.
In solidarity,
Robert Cassanello
UFF-UCF, President
