On Thursday, the BOT and FSU bargaining teams met for the second session of the week, this time to discuss the UFF proposal on Article 13 Layoff and Recall. You can read the proposal here.
The key issue is the definition of “layoff unit,” and the UFF has proposed that it be a person’s tenure or administrative home, which is the unit a faculty member was hired into, which appears in the University’s official Bargaining Unit Member List. If a person has transferred into a different unit, the transfer must have been accomplished well before any layoff situation. A layoff unit may also be a subdivision of a tenure or administrative home that comprises an established area or school.
The other key issue is the ordering of layoffs. Both teams are fine with the language declaring that no tenured faculty member may be laid off if there are faculty members who do not have tenure in the layoff unit. But the BOT’s proposal had removed the longstanding language stipulating that faculty with more than five years of FSU employment are not to be laid off if there are faculty with fewer than five years. Our first choice is to reinstate that language, but an alternative we raised is that no faculty member may be laid off ahead of faculty holding a lower rank in the layoff unit. Nor can a faculty member without tenure in a layoff unit who has more than 10 years of service be laid off ahead of a faculty member who has fewer than 10 years.
We have two bargaining sessions coming up: Wednesday, August 12, at 9:00 a.m. to discuss Covid-19 Impact Bargaining and Wednesday August 19 at 2:00 to continue regular bargaining, which we trust will feature a response to our Layoffs proposal.
Bargaining sessions are open to faculty, and negotiations have benefited from the many faculty who have been coming to sessions. There is definitely strength in numbers, and we appreciate having you! If you would like to attend, please respond to this message and we will send you the links when we receive them.
We also invite members to come to an online Bargaining Forum happy hour this evening 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.
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