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The BOT and UFF-FSU teams met on July 23 and continued discussing salary, but the teams still remain far apart. On the upside, the BOT team added ½ a percent to its total offer and is willing to earmark a part of the package to include performance raises to help keep up with the cost of living. It is also willing to extend Sustained Performance Increase awards to eligible third-tier Specialized Faculty. On the downside, however, their package amounts to only 3% (not counting promotion raises and administrative discretionary raises).
The UFF-FSU proposed package totals 5.2%.
The UFF-FSU team is having a hard time understanding why the BOT team is making such a “low ball” offer. By way of comparison, faculty at UCF just settled salary negotiations that resulted in a 5% raise (3% across-the-board and 2% merit). Why should a preeminent university like Florida State come in so much lower? It would be one thing if this were another year of Legislative cutbacks. But nothing could be further from the truth. With a budget of nearly a billion dollars, and with an increase of $41 million, this is not a tight budget year. The UFF-FSU team needs the BOT to realize, like UCF evidently does, that our university needs competitive raises in order to maintain and improve its position. Three percent doesn’t cut it.
The teams also discussed the terms of the re-extension of the Domestic Partner benefit agreed to last year, and these negotiations are continuing.