Dear FSU Colleagues,
On April 10, the UFF-FSU and FSU-BOT teams met and exchanged counter-offers on Article 21 (Other Faculty Rights) and Article 22 (Sabbatical and Professional Development Leave). We have appreciated your attendance at our bargaining sessions as well as your participation in our poll and responses to our bargaining updates. Such participation, we believe, gives us not only more bargaining power, but also a better sense of what you want!
In sum, the teams are working to update the language on building environmental safety, but while Article 21 (Other Faculty Rights) was open, the UFF-FSU team also proposed new standards to protect faculty, students, and staff in the event of a live shooter. In the case of Article 22 (Sabbatical and Professional Development Leave), the UFF-FSU team wanted an allowance for non-instructional faculty to split up their leave rather than take it all at once. The BOT team agreed to that, but added more years between the leaves to make PDL consistent with sabbaticals, and the UFF team then proposed lessening the number of years between sabbaticals as well as Professional Development Leaves. We have not yet received a response to our “Salaries” proposal from last week, and we are still working on our proposal to the “Grievances and Arbitration” article.
For more specifics, let’s begin with the UFF’s proposal on Article 21 (Other Faculty Rights).
UFF proposed additional language to clarify the BOT’s changes to 21.3 (Safe Conditions), which refers to the safety of campus buildings. These changes include:
- Replace “remediation taken if reading falls above the EPA Action Levels” with “action taken if levels are above EPA Radon Action Levels.”
- A new follow-up process for the building where the radon mitigation system has installed.
- Actions if issues with mold are found after inspection.
We also proposed that the university take specific safety measures and precautions against an armed aggressor, including safety buttons to inform police, devices to lock the office or classroom door, and emergency training.
The BOT team responded to our Article 22 proposal (Sabbatical and Professional Development Leave):
- The BOT team accepted our provision for Professional Development Leave (PDL) that allows non-instructional faculty to take the leave in smaller increments over the course of two years, since many librarians and research faculty find it difficult to take a full semester away from their duties and thus don’t apply.
- The BOT team changed the minimum years of service to be eligible for PDL from three (3) to six (6). The BOT rationale was to make it consistent with sabbatical eligibility.
- The BOT team also accepted deferral of the PDL to the next year or other time, mutually agreed by both the faculty member and university, if staffing consideration prevents the faculty from leaving the campus.
However, the BOT team didn’t agree to the proposal by the UFF that would allow faculty who receive full year, half pay leave to earn salaries from the university or other sources during sabbatical or PDL.
In response to the BOT team’s counter-offer on Article 22, the UFF team crafted a response.
- The UFF team changed the minimum years of service to be eligible for PDL from the BOT proposed six (6) to five (5). To keep it consistent with the sabbatical eligibility years, the UFF also changed the sabbatical eligibility to be five (5) years.
- The UFF accepted the deferral language set forth by the BOT team.
- The UFF team rewrote the clause about earning salaries from the university or other sources during sabbatical or PDL. More specifically, the new proposal restricts this proposal to “when a faculty member’s duties include functions that are necessary to the operation of the University”.
We are awaiting responses to our proposals.
The next bargaining session will be on Wednesday, April 24, from 3:30-5:00 pm at Westcott Room 201.
We greatly appreciate those of you who attended bargaining via Zoom. The BOT team notices when faculty attend sessions, so if you can, please plan to attend in person, or you can attend online. We will send the Zoom link before the next bargaining session.
The key to a strong Collective Bargaining Agreement is you! If you are not a member, please join. If you have questions about membership, please contact [email protected]
All the best,
Arash Fahim, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics
On behalf of
Scott Hannahs, Research Faculty III, National High Magnetic Field Lab
Jennifer Proffitt, Professor, Communication
Co-Chief Negotiators, UFF-FSU