UFF-FIU and the FIU administration have concluded bargaining on reopeners for the 2023-2024 contract year. Negotiations began in the spring and concluded on August 26th, 2023.
On Wednesday, Sept 6 and Thursday, Sept 7, the union will host a vote to ratify the following changes to the contract for years 2021-2024.
1. A Change to Appendix A: Position Classification in the Bargaining Unit (website link)
Summary:
The change brings some centre directors (administrative code C4) who don’t evaluate faculty back into our bargaining unit. This helps ensure more faculty can benefit from the collective bargaining process, and are not erroneously prohibited from the benefits provided for under the CBA or union representation for grievance and arbitration procedures.
2. A Change to BOT-UFF Policy on Employee Performance Evaluation (website link)
Summary:
The change adds the following line to the policy: “The teaching evaluation may not be based primarily on student sources 36 when additional sources have been made available to the evaluator(s).” This change brings our contract in line with other contracts across the state university system, protects faculty from the well-known harms associated with tenure/promotion being too closely tied to student evaluations, and will help ensure faculty feel empowered to continue to uphold high standards and academic integrity in their classrooms.
3. A change to the Salary Article (website link)
Summary:
Effective in the first pay period after the contract is ratified by the faculty and the BOT, the salary article now provides faculty who received at least a “satisfactory” evaluation last year with:
A $3,000 inflationary relief bonus
For 9-month faculty, a 5% or $5,000 raise, whichever is greater; or
For 12-month faculty, a 5% or $6,692.31 raise, whichever is greater.
This translates to an average raise of 6.3% for our unit. With the lowest paid members of our bargaining receiving more than a 10% raise.