Dear Colleagues,
The BOT and the UFF bargaining teams met Wednesday this week to discuss Article 23, Salaries. Faculty showed up in droves—just shy of 60 people. Some sported signs: “Who put FSU in the top 20%? FACULTY! Reward the hard work . . . or lose the workers and the ranking!” “No cost of living increase means faculty salaries are moving BACKWARDS.”
It was great to have so many of you there; indeed, it was inspiring!
Proposals flew back and forth, and caucus meetings burbled with statements of disbelief and discontent from the union member attendees.
Thefirst proposal was the BOT’s, offering a 3% bonus, with a floor of $2,000 and a ceiling of $4,000.
The UFF countered with a 1% across-the-board raise with a $900 floor, plus a 3% bonus with a $3,000 floor and a $4,000 ceiling.
The BOT came back with the same offer as before but with a higher minimum: $2,500 instead of $2,000.
The UFF responded with our same offer, with one difference: the amount for Administrative Discretionary Increases could be 0.8%, which was the amount the BOT had proposed.
The last proposal of the day was the BOT’s, which they presented as the best they could do this bargaining season: No raise, but a bonus of 3% or $3,000, whichever is higher. The lack of a raise is still a cause for concern, but their new version of the bonus strikes us as worth entertaining. The UFF continues to believe that the University received a 3.2% increase in unrestricted funds that could be used towards salary increases, and we have requested details about how those funds have been allocated. We hope this information will be available by next week and can inform our bargaining position.
We will again meet remotely to continue bargaining Salaries next Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 1:00. Faculty presence makes a real difference, so we encourage you to come! Signs optional!
Bargaining Link (Wed, Sept 15 at 1:00): https://fsu.zoom.us/j/99785368112
If you are a member of UFF, you are also welcome to our caucuses, which typically occur once or twice during bargaining and at its conclusion.
Caucus link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83298989140
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