By Professor Jennifer Proffitt, UFF-FSU President
CBA Implementation and Distribution
Several additional provisions of the 2013-2016 collective bargaining agreement have been implemented since the Faculty Senate last met in December, including the open enrollment of domestic partner benefits and the one-time payment of $244 in most faculty members’ December 13 paychecks. Hard copies of the new CBAs are being distributed to UFF members and are available to everyone free online at our website or for $7.20 from Amazon.
Consultations
At our December consultation with President Barron, Provost Stokes, Vice President McRorie and other administration representatives, we discussed such topics as faculty salary compression and market equity, reclassifications, peer committees for specialized faculty, and FSU’s hiring plans. The next consultation will be held February 12.
Legislative Concerns
In legislative news, you may have heard that FRS pension reform is once again on the legislative agenda. We along with other public sector unions in the state are working on this as we speak. We are also still working on the reinstatement of the 2+% cut in the retirement benefits paid by the state from those of us in the Optional Retirement Plan. This cut was in addition to the 3% mandatory contribution. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at [email protected].
We are also continuing to follow the implementation of HB7029, the bill that opens the door to for-profit entities to offer online courses to university students in Florida, courses that would replace our faculty-led courses. As I reported last month, the Department of Education has been tasked with writing a report that is due February 1st. I have provided material on HB7029 to Faculty Senate President Tyson and will be happy to provide information to other Senators.