Summary of the Ratified Contract covering FY09 - FY12
Timeline
- We accepted a one year extension of the current contract (for FY09).
- We then agreed to a three-year contract beginning
Money
- We agreed to no pay increase for FY09. (NOTE: As we have previously discussed with members, there was no reasonable way to avoid this).
- 1.5% across the board pay increase from July 2009 to June 2010. This amount could be increased by “revenue escalators” that measure tax revenues realized by the state. If tax revenues in FY10 exceed $20.3 billion, the FY10 pay increase would increase to 2.5% (retroactive to July 2009), and if revenues in FY10 exceed $21.4 billion, the pay increase would move to 3.5%. The current revenue projection for FY10 is $19.3 billion.
- 3.5% pay increase in each of the final two years of the contract (July 2010 and July 2011) split so that 2.25% is across the board and 1.25% is assigned for merit. [NOTE: As you may recall, the MSP has been arguing (in coalition) for a TRUE cost-of-living increase PRIOR to any merit being applied. The administration wanted a smaller across-the-board increase. We fought until well into the evening Friday to win an improvement to their proposal.]
- The merit amount to be awarded in July 2010 will be for work performed in the two most distant years not yet covered by merit (Academic Years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008). The merit amount to be awarded in July 2011 will be for work performed in Academic Years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. To be clear, there is no year of work for any member in which they cannot earn merit pay, as decided by standard methods, for their fine work. This assures that all years are covered.
Flexible Sabbatical
- We negotiated a change in the current sabbatical policy that allows members to accumulate credit toward sabbatical for each year of full time work. This credit can then be applied to sabbatical that would be taken when opportunities arise rather than specifically only during every seventh year of employment. This process would prevent the loss of credit for sabbaticals taken after year 7, allow sabbaticals to be taken early, and would allow a full year/full pay sabbatical to be taken in year 14. More details will be provided prior to ratification.
Pre-tenure Release
- We negotiated a “Research-Intensive Semester” for faculty before tenure in which junior faculty are released from teaching duties and where service responsibilities are limited in order to provide time for the scholarly work required for a successful tenure application. We’ve agreed to a roll-out schedule for this benefit. It will be implemented in CHFA beginning with the 2009-2010 academic year and the union will receive subsequent proposals from the administration for the remaining colleges based on the following schedule: CSBS and one other college no later than June 2009, three additional schools and colleges no later than June 2010, and the remaining schools and colleges no later than June 2011. This is a big win and will provide a more uniform system to provide new faculty with the time they need to earn tenure.
- We negotiated a system where bargaining unit members in the Optional Retirement Plan can reduce their assignments and pay in their final two to five years of employment while retaining full status as faculty members/librarians. This will allow for a modification of responsibilities during the final years of employment and improve planning for searches to replace retiring faculty.
- We obtained clarification around the conditions for part-time post-retirement appointments.
- Fees for dependents of bargaining unit members shall be frozen over the life of the Agreement. In addition, the parties have agreed to a joint labor/management committee, comprised of representatives from all impacted MTA bargaining units, with a charge of examining future full restoration of the tuition and fee benefit.
Research and Teaching Support Funds
This is the new name for Research and Educational Support Fund money, (formerly called PD money). There are two pools of funds which will be made available in FY10 that faculty and librarians can apply for:
- Research funds (pool of $500K) for research projects. Maximum award $800.
- Teaching funds (pool of $250K) for teaching projects. Maximum award $500.
- We also negotiated a reopening of the contract to consider expansion of this fund in FY11.
Health and Welfare Contribution
- The contribution to the Health and Welfare Trust Fund (which uses funds to purchase our group dental benefits policy) will increase to $13.50 per FTE member per week effective January 2011 and will increase to $14 per FTE member per week effective January 2012.
Our biggest concern with regard to the fund is the maintenance of our benefit and while we didn’t get the increase we’d been arguing for, we are hopeful that we will be able to maintain the improved annual maximum benefit we secured last summer ($1000 per year/per person – up from $750). Brush regularly.
- We incorporated key family issues contained in the Commonwealth’s ‘Red Book’ into our contract and won a dramatic improvement regarding the use of sick leave to care for family members. Previously a maximum of 30 days per year could be used for this purpose. Under our new language, a member will be able to use his/her sick leave or the MSP sick leave bank for a period longer than this by applying to a sick leave committee.
- We created a joint labor/management Distance Education Committee with the authority to negotiate. The charge of the committee is to research employment issues raised by the development and teaching of distance education courses and to develop contract language that will protect and advance faculty interests.
- We created a joint labor/management Research Faculty committee. The charge of this committee is to investigate, and seek ways to address, specific concerns shared by all Research Faculty.
- We created a joint/labor management Enhanced Sabbatical Leave Committee with a charge to research an enhanced sabbatical leave policy.