March 09, 2011
Non-Tenure Track Faculty reject final offer
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- In a disappointing turn of events, the Non-Tenure Track Faculty Association has rejected Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s offers of either a three-year or a one-year collective bargaining agreement. SIUC made significant concessions in an attempt to reach a three-year deal with the NTT.
SIUC’s offers attempted to resolve issues raised by the NTT while also achieving the necessary cost savings for this fiscal year and minimizing the impact on our employees, preventing permanent layoffs in this fiscal year, as well as protecting the financial state of the University in future years. This impasse was reached today (March 9) after a second round of mediation talks with a federal mediator.
In a final attempt to reach agreement, the University offered two different contract options to the NTT; a three-year agreement or a one-year agreement (see details below). Unfortunately, the NTT rejected both offers despite having a number of its issues addressed in the proposals offered by the University.
After rejection of both its three-year and one-year offers, the University re-issued the one-year agreement as its last, best and final offer. The University has given the NTT until 4:30 p.m. on March 24, 2011, to accept and ratify either of the contract proposals. If neither agreement is accepted and ratified, the University will implement the terms of its last, best, and final one-year proposal, effective on March 25, 2011.
The NTT continued to make the following demands during mediation:
a) Salary/Pay Rates Increases -- 25 percent increase in minimum pay rates; a $300 per month salary increase for all NTT faculty currently on a continuing appointment; plus any across-the-board increase granted to tenure-track faculty.
b) Full “Fair Share” -- This provision would require all non-dues paying employees covered by the contract to pay a fee to NTT for representing them. This fee would be equivalent to the dues amount paid by union members.
c)Personal Days -- Three personal days per year for NTT faculty whose entire work time consists of contact hours with students/clients. This is in addition to the current 43 sick days per year.
d) Appointment paperwork -- NTT faculty appointment paperwork would be binding on the date the faculty member signed the document regardless of whether appropriate University officials hadapproved the terms of the employment agreement.
e) Reasonable Assurance -- After six semesters, a term NTT faculty member would be reasonably assured of continued employment unless the union is given a layoff notice of 120 days and the employee is notified at least 90 days in advance.
f) Continuing Appointment -- Instead of the requirement that an employee be employed full time for five years to achieve continuing status, employees can drop to three-quarter-time appointment for all but one semester and still achieve continuing status.
g) Performance Evaluations -- Demand the right to grieve to binding arbitration the content of performance evaluations.
h) Furlough Days -- Ability to make up the four unpaid furlough days.
i) Layoffs -- Guaranteed no layoffs in fall 2011.
The University maintained its position that these proposals are unacceptable in the current economic setting. After several hours of discussions with no movement from either side, the University presented the following proposals to the NTT bargaining team:
Option #1: A three (3) year agreement that includes but is not limited to:
I.Concessions made by the University. These are enhancements to the previous collective bargaining agreement which addressed issues raised by NTT.
a) Fair Share -- Fair Share upon proof that a majority of the bargaining unit members are dues-paying members.
b)Personal days -- Gives two personal days per year to employees who have set daytime work hours where all hours consist of contact with students/clients (e.g. Headstart/SRECP)
c) Head Start/SRECP Spring Break -- Allows NTT employed in the Head Start or the Southern Region Early Childhood programs to take spring break in accordance with the school district calendar.
d)Reasonable Assurance – After six semesters of full-time employment, gives NTT faculty reasonable assurance of re-employment for the following academic year.
e)SRECP employment -- Indicates that if grant funds are available an appointment of up to 10 months (rather than 9 months) may be provided. (Requires a 10-month appointment for those individuals working under a grant that requires services be provided for 10- months.)
f)Continuing Appointment -- Allows NTT who are employed full time to have one semester of less than full time employment (but more than three-quarter-time employment)to convert to continuing despite the drop in full time status. (Now drop in service can only occur if maintain full time status for six semesters preceding conversion to continuing).
g) Continuing -- Give 12 months notice of non-reappointment for employees on continuing status.
h) Re-Employment Opportunity for Non-Continuing NTT Faculty -- Requires the University to make a good faith effort to notify non-continuing NTT as soon as practicable regardingreappointment for subsequent academic years or semesters.
i)Conversion if Appointed in Two or More Departments -- Allows all unit appointments to be considered in calculation of conversion to continuing.
j) Summer appointments -- Sets factors for summer appointment assignments.
k) Leaves without Pay -- Permits NTT to take leaves without pay for professional development or personal reasons.
l) Workload assignments -- Sets standards upon which a workload assignment will be made to the NTT faculty member and the notification requirements of the workload assignment.
m) Layoffs -- Revises the layoff article to establish the order in which NTT Faculty will be laid off.
n) Layoffs -- Requires University to make a good-faith effort to provide 60 days notice to the Association but requires at least 45 days notice to the Association prior to an intended layoff (rather than 30 days).
o) Layoffs -- Adds language that indicates that a layoff will not affect a faculty member’s conversion to a continuing appointment.
p) Recall rights -- Grants recall rights to all NTT.
q) Twelve Month Pay Option -- Permits all NTT faculty who have a nine-month appointment to have their salary distributed over twelve months.
r) Promotional Lines -- Requests that the SIUC Faculty Senate study the issue of promotional lines for NTT.
II. Other Provisions
a) Evaluations -- Permits a designee to complete an evaluation if the NTT faculty member is notified at the beginning of the initial appointment.
b)Salary Increases – 0 percent salary increase for the current fiscal year (FY 2011), Board-allocated salary increase for FY 2012, and a wage reopener (including right to strike) for FY 2013.
c)Furlough days -- Requires all NTT faculty to take four furlough days during March, April, and May. Permits the days to be taken in half-day increments. Days to be determined by NTT Faculty member and his/her immediate supervisor.
d) Furlough days -- Furlough days do not impact health insurance or vacation or sick leave accruals.
Option # 2: A one (1) year agreement that includes but not limited to:
I.Concessions made by the University. These are enhancements to the previous collective bargaining agreement which addressed issues raised by NTT.
a) Headstart/SRECP Spring Break -- Allows NTT employed in the Head Start or SRECP programs to take spring break in accordance with the school district calendar.
b)Re-Employment Opportunity for Non-Continuing NTT Faculty -- Requires the University to make a good faith effort to notify non-continuing NTT as soon as practicable regarding reappointment for subsequent academic years or semesters.
c) Conversion if Appointed in Two or More Departments -- Allows all unit appointments to be considered in calculation of conversion to continuing.
d)Summer appointments -- Sets factors for summer appointment assignments.
e) Leaves without Pay -- Permits NTT to take leaves without pay for professional development or personal reasons.
f)Workload assignments -- Sets standards upon which a workload assignment will be made to the NTT Faculty member and the notification requirements of the workload assignment.
g) Layoffs -- Revises the layoff article to establish the order in which NTT Faculty will be laid off.
h)Layoffs -- Requires University to provide at least 45 days notice to the Association prior to an intended layoff (rather than 30 days).
i)Layoffs -- Adds language that indicates that a layoff will not affect a faculty member’s conversion to a continuing appointment.
j)Twelve Month Pay Option -- Permits all NTT faculty who have a nine-month appointment to have their salary distributed over twelve months.
k)Promotional Lines -- Requests that the SIUC Faculty Senate study the issue of promotional lines for NTT.
III.Other Provisions
a) Evaluations -- Permits a designee to complete an evaluation if the NTT faculty member is notified at the beginning of the initial appointment.
b)Salary Increases – 0 percent salary increase for the current fiscal year (FY 2011).
c)Furlough days -- Requires all NTT faculty to take four furlough days during March, April, and May. Permits the days to be taken in half-day increments. Days to be determined by NTT Faculty member and his/her immediate supervisor.
d)Furlough days -- Furlough days do not impact health insurance or vacation or sick leave accruals.