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Dear FSU Colleagues,
The BOT and UFF-FSU teams met July 22 and discussed Article 23 (Salaries), Article 17 (Leaves), Article 32 (Artificial Intelligence), and Article 10 (Performance Evaluations) and the corresponding Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the pilot program for In-unit Chair Reviews. We also presented a new MOA that would, if the BOT team agrees, implement promotion raises, sustained performance increases, and Post-Tenure Review increases and bonuses on time for the new semester as we continue to bargain. A summary of each discussion can be found below.
Regarding Article 23 (Salaries), the UFF team asked numerous questions about the budget and were told once again that though faculty are a priority for the institution, there is no new recurring money for raises this year, only bonuses, which come out of non-recurring funds. Based on this lengthy discussion, the UFF team reluctantly dropped merit and market equity and proposed a 2% performance increase and a $5,000 bonus. We argued as we did in previous sessions that where the University allocates funding demonstrates the University’s priorities, and without an increase to base in this economic climate, faculty fall further and further behind. If the University truly wants to retain faculty, an increase to our salaries is a start. Telling us the University sees faculty as a priority is not the same as showing us that faculty are a priority by rewarding them for their excellent hard work.
Because the teams will not likely be able to come to an agreement on all articles and ratify the changes before the beginning of the Fall semester in early August, we presented an MOA that would provide the promotion, sustained performance, and Post-Tenure Review increases and bonuses that the BOT team said they’ve already committed to. We eagerly await a response.
For Article 17 (Leaves), we have been proposing expanding parental leave to family leave, which would provide faculty members leave to take care of ailing family members, but the BOT team has not agreed to this. The BOT team said they did not find family leave necessary because faculty already have access to FMLA and have plenty of sick leave that can be used to take care of their families. This is difficult for new faculty who do not have enough sick leave time, so we hope to work with the BOT team to provide a mechanism for new faculty who may need an advance on their sick leave, just as the BOT team proposed for bereavement leave.
We appear to be making some progress on the new Article 32 (Artificial Intelligence). One of our primary goals is to protect faculty rights to use or not use AI in their teaching, research, and service. Another is to be sure faculty have a voice in University decision-making regarding AI policies and yet another is to prohibit the outsourcing of curriculum to AI vendors. If interested, you can compare the BOT team’s proposal from last week (their changes are highlighted) to our proposal this week (our changes are highlighted).
For Article 10 (Performance Evaluations) and the In-Unit Chair Review Pilot Program MOA, UFF agreed to the MOA contingent upon status quo (that is, no changes) to Article 10. The BOT team asked us to consider their newest proposal for Article 10. We considered it, and we presented a counter. The BOT team’s proposal would make it so that UFF service does not count as University service based on their flawed interpretation (according to our legal team) of SB1296. UFF service is a key pillar of shared governance, which is the hallmark of successful universities. To suggest UFF service is not University service does a huge disservice to faculty, students, and other University stakeholders as the voluntary and democratically elected faculty members who make up UFF leadership and the administration work together for the success of the University. When well over 50% of the faculty are members of UFF-FSU, it is clear that as a collective, we agree that faculty should have a strong voice in collectively bargaining the terms and conditions of our employment and protecting faculty rights outlined in our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Many faculty members spend countless hours doing so, and for over 20 years, our service has been recognized. At best, this is a misinterpretation of the law. At worst, it is a union-busting tactic.
The next bargaining session is scheduled for July 29 from 2:00-5:00 in the Training Center. We hope that you can join us in person to show that faculty are concerned about salaries and the other issues under consideration this year. If you cannot join us in person, a Zoom link will be sent out tomorrow. Your physical or virtual attendance truly makes a huge difference in the tenor of negotiations. Thank you to all who have attended bargaining so far this bargaining season!
And if you are a member, thank you for your support! If you are not a member, please join. Membership has many benefits, including strength at the bargaining table.
Sincerely, and on behalf of the UFF-FSU bargaining team,
Jennifer Proffitt
UFF-FSU Co-Chief Negotiator and Professor of Communication