The FSU-BOT team and the UFF-FSU teams met on Wednesday to continue regular bargaining. The main topic was the MOU on the Pilot Tuition Scholarship Program for Dependents and Spouses. Both sides are pleased to announce that we reached agreement!
This MOU offers major improvements over the version we had agreed to for the past two years. Now, instead of applying only to children of a faculty member, it covers a spouse, as well, and instead of paying only for undergraduate tuition, it also pays for graduate tuition. You can read the agreement here.
This revised program is a boon to many current faculty members and also will be a selling point to job candidates considering our job offers.
This MOU resolves one of the proposals we had put forth regarding Benefits. The other was a Tapered Employment Program, but we are dropping it in the face of the BOT team’s unwillingness to add the provisions that would make the Program worthwhile. This means that discussions of the Benefits article are over for the season.
The meeting ended shortly after the Tuition Scholarship agreement was reached. The BOT team asked a question about a provision in our Leaves proposal, and they noted that they were likely to have a counterproposal on Layoffs at the next meeting. They are unsure when they will have a Counterproposal on our proposed MOU on the Repopulation Guide or on Salaries. The UFF team plans to offer its counterproposal on Conflict of Interest/Outside Activity at the next meeting and is raring to go on the other outstanding articles.
Our next regular bargaining session is Thursday, July 23, at 10:00. Bargaining sessions are open to faculty, and if you would like to attend please respond to this message and we will send you the links when we receive them. Please try to come, as faculty attendance strengthens our position.
We also invite members to come to a Bargaining Forum happy hour again this Friday at 5:00. Members (note that this event is only for members) have received an invitation and zoom link from UFF President Matthew Lata, but reply to this email if you want it resent.
Regular updates can be found at our webpage: https://uff-fsu.org/
The key to a strong Collective Bargaining Agreement is a strong membership base, so if you are not a member, please join! There has never been a more important time for us to stand together. https://uff-fsu.org/wp/join/
All best,
Irene Padavic and Scott Hannahs, Co-Chief Negotiators, UFF-FSU