October 14, 2008 Senate Report

Notices sent out to bargaining unit yesterday concerning new UFF policy on grievances and a bargaining report. You all can read your email I will just summarize here the issues

1. New UFF Grievance Policy – at our recent Statewide meeting all the chapters of the UFF voted to no longer take grievances from non-members. WE WILL NO LONGER REPRESENT NON-MEMBERS IN GRIEVANCES. HOWEVER, THE UFF WILL PROTECT THE CONTRACT AND GRIEVE ANY CONTRACT VIOLATIONS. Non-members can, as always, represent themselves or hire an attorney. However, only dues-paying members will be entitled the grievance and legal expertise of the UFF and to the $1 million dollar insurance policy that covers liability for work-related lawsuits. This policy will become effective November 4th 2008. Also – it is important to note that individuals MUST BE MEMBERS AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT IN ORDER TO HAVE GRIEVANCE REPRESENTATION.
2. Bargaining update –
   1. Promotions – we have tentatively agreed to a new promotions policy that would, for the first time, provide opportunities for promotion and promotion raises to lecturers and instructors.
   2. Salaries – UFF and FIU are very close in terms of total dollars to fund raises. However, we differ on how those monies would be allocated. Both sides agree that some money should be for “RETENTION RAISES” FOR ALL FACULTY and some set aside for ‘MERIT” – however, we disagree on how much should be in each pot. We hope to resolve this issue quickly
   3. Research Space – UFF recognizes the University’s need to fully utilize research space, but demands that changes in policies be reasonable and fair. Therefore, we have proposed new contract language that:
      1. protects tenure-earning faculty from losing their labs during tenure period,
      2. Protects productive faculty from losing labs if they have 3 years of satisfactory evaluations in research within the last 6 years,
      3. and it protects those who go on leave to ensure that they have space when they return.
   The UFF is working to resolve these differences at the table and we hope to have a new contract to ratify soon.

Respectfully submitted,
Leslie Frazier,
Chapter President UFF