As you may recall our current contract expired on July 1st 2008. However, until a new contract is bargained and ratified, the terms of the expired contract will continue as status quo. All rights and benefits in place under the expired contract will continue.

Since April, the UFF bargaining team has been engaged in negotiations with the FIU administration on the terms of a new contract. The parties have tentatively agreed to new language on parental leaves that specifies and clarifies coverage of leave, while protecting the six month paid leave bargained as part of the 2005- 2008 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The parties are also bargaining over a proposal to create a career path for Instructors and Lecturers that would provide promotions and salary increases similar to those now provided for librarians and tenure-earning faculty. There is also a proposal under discussion to increase compensation for supplemental summer assignments. In addition, UFF is currently engaged in settlement talks following the administration’s refusal to bargain over the impact of new research space allocation policies adopted in January. We hope to reach a settlement soon that will allow us to proceed with negotiations over lab space as part of full book bargaining.

In addition to these issues, the parties are still engaged in bargaining over salary increases for 2007 – 2008. UFF’s latest 2007 – 2008 salary proposal calls for a 2% across-the-board increase, retroactive to December 28, 2007. The administration’s proposal would provide absolutely no general salary increase for 2007 – 2008, but only discretionary authority for administrators to reward select faculty with raises and special awards. UFF cannot agree to discretionary authority that would allow the administration to reward only a few faculty and librarians of their choosing, while expecting the majority of our bargaining unit to accept significant cuts in real wages, when inflation is taken into account.

For 2008 – 2009, UFF has proposed an additional 2% across-the-board increase, effective at the beginning of the 2008-2009 Academic Year. The administration’s latest salary proposal would match UFF’s demand for a 2 % across-the-board increase in 2008 – 2009, but only if UFF agreed to a four-year salary deal that would provide no across the board raise for 2007 – 2008; 2% ATB in 2008 – 2009; 1% ATB and 1% merit in 2009-2010; and 2% merit (no ATB) in 2010-2011. In addition, the administration demands the right to distribute up to 1% of the payroll each year in special discretionary raises and awards to selected faculty, even in years when no across-the-board increase is proposed for other employees.

While UFF appreciates the administration’s willingness to offer some level of salary increase over the next three years, the current offer is not sufficient. We have experienced a high rate of inflation in this market over the past year (South Florida continues to experience cost of living increases almost double those of the national average). Many economists predict that inflation will worsen in the months to come, UFF cannot agree to lock faculty and librarians into a long-term salary deal at rates that would not even begin to keep employees even with increases in the cost of living.

Moreover, UFF is unwilling to agree to discretionary authority for the administration to give raises to a select few while the rest of the faculty and librarians are expected to accept significant cuts in real wages, based on cost of living increases in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale.

The parties are continuing to discuss all these issues, with our next bargaining session scheduled for Thursday, July 10th. It is UFF’s hope that we can reach tentative agreement on a reasonable salary package for both 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 and complete bargaining on the full new three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement in time for a ratification vote before the end of summer.

As you may recall our current contract expired on July 1st 2008. However, until a new contract is bargained and ratified, the terms of the expired contract will continue as status quo. All rights and benefits in place under the expired contract will continue.

Since April, the UFF bargaining team has been engaged in negotiations with the FIU administration on the terms of a new contract. The parties have tentatively agreed to new language on parental leaves that specifies and clarifies coverage of leave, while protecting the six month paid leave bargained as part of the 2005- 2008 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The parties are also bargaining over a proposal to create a career path for Instructors and Lecturers that would provide promotions and salary increases similar to those now provided for librarians and tenure-earning faculty. There is also a proposal under discussion to increase compensation for supplemental summer assignments. In addition, UFF is currently engaged in settlement talks following the administration’s refusal to bargain over the impact of new research space allocation policies adopted in January. We hope to reach a settlement soon that will allow us to proceed with negotiations over lab space as part of full book bargaining.

In addition to these issues, the parties are still engaged in bargaining over salary increases for 2007 – 2008. UFF’s latest 2007 – 2008 salary proposal calls for a 2% across-the-board increase, retroactive to December 28, 2007. The administration’s proposal would provide absolutely no general salary increase for 2007 – 2008, but only discretionary authority for administrators to reward select faculty with raises and special awards. UFF cannot agree to discretionary authority that would allow the administration to reward only a few faculty and librarians of their choosing, while expecting the majority of our bargaining unit to accept significant cuts in real wages, when inflation is taken into account.

For 2008 – 2009, UFF has proposed an additional 2% across-the-board increase, effective at the beginning of the 2008-2009 Academic Year. The administration’s latest salary proposal would match UFF’s demand for a 2 % across-the-board increase in 2008 – 2009, but only if UFF agreed to a four-year salary deal that would provide no across the board raise for 2007 – 2008; 2% ATB in 2008 – 2009; 1% ATB and 1% merit in 2009-2010; and 2% merit (no ATB) in 2010-2011. In addition, the administration demands the right to distribute up to 1% of the payroll each year in special discretionary raises and awards to selected faculty, even in years when no across-the-board increase is proposed for other employees.

While UFF appreciates the administration’s willingness to offer some level of salary increase over the next three years, the current offer is not sufficient. We have experienced a high rate of inflation in this market over the past year (South Florida continues to experience cost of living increases almost double those of the national average). Many economists predict that inflation will worsen in the months to come, UFF cannot agree to lock faculty and librarians into a long-term salary deal at rates that would not even begin to keep employees even with increases in the cost of living.

Moreover, UFF is unwilling to agree to discretionary authority for the administration to give raises to a select few while the rest of the faculty and librarians are expected to accept significant cuts in real wages, based on cost of living increases in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale.

The parties are continuing to discuss all these issues, with our next bargaining session scheduled for Thursday, July 10th. It is UFF’s hope that we can reach tentative agreement on a reasonable salary package for both 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 and complete bargaining on the full new three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement in time for a ratification vote before the end of summer.