EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Your UAOSU bargaining team and the administration team met from 10am-4pm on Tuesday, December 17. The administration team passed a counter proposal on Appointment and Reappointment and we passed a counter proposal on Academic Freedom. Later in the session we turned around a counter on Appointment and Reappointment together with a counter proposal on Termination Not For Cause, seeking to align the two, particularly in how they would operate for the newly created continuous appointments. At the end of the session, the administration team provided counter proposals on some Letters of Agreement (LOAs) related to promotion (see proposals here and here), which affirmed the administration’s obligation to bargain over changes to promotion criteria with your union.
UPCOMING SESSIONS
Use the links below to add these to your calendar.
- Fri Dec 20 9:30am-4pm Cascade Hall 135 – We will bring treats and beverages, so please come help make this session festive.
FULL UPDATE
The session began with the administration team passing a counter proposal on Appointment and Reappointment. The administration has moved significantly closer to some of our positions but remains firm on certain issues, like the necessity of multiple appointments for different responsibilities and pay rates. For individuals holding multiple appointments, they proposed a 3-year cycle for reassessment to determine if the split continues to be necessary. They accepted some language changes related to how continuous appointments would work, including protections against non-renewals, and they agreed reasonable notice timelines for non-tenure-track faculty whose FTE is reduced below benefits eligibility.
After a caucus, we passed a counter proposal on Academic Freedom. We refined the language based on some of the administration team’s objections and removed some unnecessary language. We believe we are close to agreement on this article. The administration remains concerned about issues related to free expression like political expression in classrooms, though they clarified that their concern is primarily about disruption of instructional settings with expression that is irrelevant or inappropriate to the class being taught. We are pushing for more clarity on how the university’s policy on the freedom of expression intersects with a faculty member’s freedom of expression as protected by this article.
Later we passed counterproposals on Appointment and Reappointment and Termination Not For Cause. We revised some language for clarity and proposed aligning the notice timeline for FTE reduction below benefits eligibility with the notice timeline for the ending of a position or a permanent reduction in FTE. In the ensuing discussion, the administration team signaled that they are open to reconciling these timelines. We are optimistic that we are close to a tentative agreement on these two articles, which would represent a significant improvement in non-tenure track job stability upon promotion.
While the administration team mostly declined our language in the Letters of Agreement related to promotion criteria for Professors of Teaching and Instructors and Faculty Research Assistants, they did agree to language that acknowledges the obligation to bargain with your union around any substantive changes to promotion criteria or the development of criteria for new job categories.
The final bargaining session for fall term is TOMORROW from 9:30am–4pm in Cascades Hall 135. The administration team indicated that they plan to bring economic proposals, including their latest counter to our Compensation proposal. Members of your bargaining and contract action teams are planning to bring holiday treats to make the final December session more festive. Your attendance matters: demonstrate to the administration that faculty demand a contract that provides the equity, respect, and stability we deserve.
You can find a list of the currently scheduled bargaining sessions, as well as read our updates and proposals at uaosu.org/bargaining.
Our power in negotiations comes from all of us working together as a united faculty. Becoming a member is the first step in supporting your bargaining team and securing a strong second contract. You can become a member online by going to uaosu.org/join.
In solidarity,
Filix Maisch and Your Bargaining Team