Upcoming Events
| Event | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| New Faculty Luncheon | Wednesday, September 28 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM | MARC Pavillion (MMC) |
Action Alert
Unions In The News
- Ten Percent Raise for CUNY
- Tallahassee Community College Joins UFF
- Winsconsin Faculty Fighting for the Life of Their University
- Welcome to Cayuga, NY Adjunct Faculty
- NEA Educators Stand Up for Social Justice
- SCOTUS Reaffirms Race in College Admissions
- In Major Victory for Educator Due Process, Appeals Court Overturns Vergara Decision
- Paying Faculty Fairly: Massive Strike in CA Averted
- Unionizing Pays Big Dividend for Professors at Regional Public Universities
- SCOTUS 4-4 decision hands public sector unions a victory
- Duke adjunct faculty joins growing movement to unionize
- What Will Become of Public-Sector Unions Now?
- Tenure Under Attack
- Special magistrate sides with UF faculty union
- CUNY Faculty Authorizes a Strike Vote
- Who Needs Faculty?
- Unions Predict Children's Advancement
- Doctors Unionize to Resist the Medical Machine
- St. Lucie Teachers Protest
- Does Amazon Need a Union?
New Faculty Luncheon
Every year, the union sponsors a luncheon for the newly hired faculty. Several guests, such as the Provost and the President of the Faculty Senate, address the new faculty, welcoming them to the University. Other speakers typically include the President of the Union, the Membership chair and a long standing Union member.
The new faculty have the opportunity to experience the community that the Union presents, while learning about the benefits of Union membership. The new faculty also learn about the successes of the Union in maintaining collegial governance.
- New Faculty Luncheon
- September 28, 2016, 12:00pm to 2:00pm
MARC Pavillion (Browse photos from last year)
Knowing your Rights and Understanding Common Issues
The first e-mail blast of every month will present one topic from the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that affects every FIU faculty member. The creation of this series is the result of a suggestion at our UFF Spring Chapter meeting. It is part of our ongoing effort to inform all faculty not only of their rights under the CBA, but to inform all faculty of the value of being a UFF member. Our CBA is the outcome of years of dedicated UFF Bargaining teams who see value in protecting our rights. Lastly, this is a legally binding agreement and must be adhered to by all parties.
Types of Leave
These are the types of leaves available to FIU faculty.
- Holidays
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Entitlements
- Parental Leave
- Leaves Due to Illness/Injury
- Annual Leave
- Administrative Leaves
- Bereavement Leave
- Leave Without Pay
This week we explore Sick Leave.
In future weeks we will explore other specific types of leaves.
Administrative Leaves
UFF-BOT
POLICY LEAVES
Purpose: To establish policy and procedures concerning employee leaves.
Policy:
- 10. Administrative Leaves.
- (A) Jury Duty and Court Appearances
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(B) Military Leave
- 1. Short-term Military Training
- 2. National Guard State Service
- 3. Other Military Leave.
- (C) Leave Pending Investigation
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(D) Other Leaves Provided Not Affecting Accrued Leave Balances
- 1. Florida Disaster Volunteer Leave
- 2. Civil disorder or disaster leave
- 3. Athletic competition leave
- 4. Leave for re-examination or treatment
- (E) Official Emergency Closings
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(A) Jury Duty and Court Appearances
- 1. An employee who is summoned as a member of a jury panel or subpoenaed as a witness in a matter not involving the employee's personal interests, shall be granted leave with pay and any jury or witness fees shall be retained by the employee; leave granted hereunder shall not affect an employee's annual or sick leave balance.
- 2. An appearance as an expert witness for which an employee receives professional compensation falls under the BOT-UFF Policy on Conflict of Interest and Outside Activity and the University's policies and rules relative to outside employment/conflict of interest. Such an appearance may necessitate the employee requesting annual leave or, if a non-annual leave accruing employee, may necessitate the employee seeking an adjustment of the work schedule.
- 3. If an employee is required, as a direct result of the employee's employment, to appear as an official witness to testify in the course of any action such duty shall be considered a part of the employee's job assignment, and the employee shall be paid per diem and travel expenses and shall turn over to the University any fees received.
- 4. An employee involved in personal litigation during work hours must request annual leave or, if a non-annual leave accruing employee, must seek an adjustment to the work schedule.
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(B) Military Leave.
- 1. Short-term Military Training. An employee who is a member of the United States Armed Forces Reserve, including the National Guard, upon presentation of a copy of the employee's official orders or appropriate military certification, shall be granted leave with pay during periods in which the employee is engaged in annual field training or other active or inactive duty for training exercises. Such leave with pay shall not exceed seventeen (17) work days in any one (1) federal fiscal year (October 1 - September 30).
- 2. National Guard State Service. An employee who is a member of the Florida National Guard shall be granted leave with pay on all days when ordered to active service by the State. Such leave with pay shall not exceed thirty (30) days at any one time.
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3. Other Military Leave.
- (a) An employee, except an employee who is employed in a temporary position or employed on a temporary basis, who is drafted, who volunteers for active military service, or who is ordered to active duty (not active duty training) shall be granted leave in accordance with Chapter 43 of Title 38, United States Code. Active military service includes active duty with any branch of the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard of the State of Florida, or other service as provided in Sections 115.08 and 115.09, Florida Statutes.
- (b) Such leave of absence shall be verified by official orders or appropriate military certification. The first thirty (30) days of such leave shall be with full-pay and shall not affect an employee's annual or sick leave balance. The remainder of military leave shall be without pay unless the employee elects to use accumulated annual leave or appropriate leave as provided in (4) below, or the employer exercises its option under Section 115.14, Florida Statutes, to supplement the employee's military pay. Leave payment for the first thirty (30) days shall be made only upon receipt of evidence from appropriate military authority that thirty (30) days of military service have been completed.
- (c) Applicable provisions of Federal and State law shall govern the granting of military leave and the employee's reemployment rights.
- (d) Use of accrued leave is authorized during a military leave without pay in accordance with Section 12 of this Policy. (C) Leave Pending Investigation. When the President or designee has reason to believe that the employee's presence on the job will adversely affect the operation of the University, the President or designee may immediately place the employee on leave pending investigation of the event(s) leading to that belief. The leave pending investigation shall commence immediately upon the President or designee providing the employee with a written notice of the reasons therefore. The leave shall be with pay, with no reduction of accrued leave.
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(D) Other Leaves Provided Not Affecting Accrued Leave Balances. An employee may be granted other
leaves not affecting accrued leave balances which are provided as follows:
- 1. Florida Disaster Volunteer Leave is provided for an employee who is a certified disaster service volunteer of the American Red Cross. Leave of absence with pay for not more than fifteen (15) working days in the fiscal year may be provided upon request of the American Red Cross and the employee's supervisor's approval. Leave granted under this act shall be only for services related to a disaster occurring within the boundaries of the State of Florida.
- 2. Civil disorder or disaster leave is provided for an employee who is member of a volunteer fire department, police auxiliary or reserve, civil defense unit, or other law enforcement type organization to perform duties in time of civil disturbances, riots, and natural disasters, including an employee who is a member of the Civil Air Patrol or Coast Guard Auxiliary, and called upon to assist in emergency search and rescue missions. Such paid leave not affecting leave balances may be granted upon approval by the President or designee and shall not exceed two days on any one occasion.
- 3. Athletic competition leave is provided for an employee who is a group leader, coach, official, or athlete who is a member of the official delegation of the United States team for athletic competition. Such paid leave not affecting leave balances shall be granted for the purpose of preparing for and engaging in the competition for the period of the official training camp and competition, not to exceed 30 days in a calendar year.
- 4. Leave for re-examination or treatment with respect to service connected disability is provided for an employee who has such rating by the United State Department of Veterans Affairs and has been scheduled to be reexamined or treated for the disability. Upon presentation of written confirmation of having been so scheduled, such leave not affecting the employee's leave balances shall be approved and shall not exceed six (6) calendar days in any calendar year.
- (E) Official Emergency Closings. The President or President's representative may close the University, or portions of the University, in the event an Executive Order declaring an emergency has been issued. When natural disasters or other sudden and unplanned emergency conditions occur which are not covered by an Executive Order, the President or designee shall determine whether the University, or any portion thereof, is affected by the emergency and is to be closed. Such closings will be only for the period it takes to restore normal working conditions. Leave resulting from such an emergency closing shall not reduce employees' leave balances.
Grievance chair: Lauren Christos
From 8/8 through 9/12, please contact
Maria Marino
Review more of your rights on the Contract Page
Collective Bargaining Update
As we reported earlier, the UFF-FIU and the FIU Administration have concluded negotiations on a three-year contract (2015-2018). We will be scheduling information and ratification meetings in January. Here is a summary of the negotiations:
Please note that the agreement on salaries applies only for the 2015-16 academic year. Salary is considered a “mandatory re-opener,” which means that unless explicitly agreed to otherwise, it must be negotiated every year. The proposed contract also allows for 5 re-openers per side in the period of the contract as well as any other mutually agreed upon re-opener.
Page references are to the proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement posted at www.uff-fiu.org
Rights, Benefits, Protections Strengthened
- Salaries (p. 27-31)
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1% retention raise to the base effective January 16, 2016 for all employees employed before July 1, 2015.
1% of 2014-2015 base salary payroll for Merit raise to the base, to be decided by departmental merit criteria, with minimum amount to be $750 to each eligible faculty member, effective January 16, 2016.
- Parental Leave (p. 81-83)
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One-child policy ended; 26 weeks of Parental Leave may be divided over 2 children, as long as no more than 2 semesters total are affected.
- Online (p. 56-63)
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Status quo, with language rewritten only for clarification and additional protections of faculty. Language retained: “No employee shall be required to teach a course as an online course...”
- External Tenure and Promotion Letters (p. 18-19; 76)
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Each department/unit shall decide whether the candidates in their discipline will have access to the external reviewers’ letters, after a democratic vote of the eligible tenured and tenure-earning faculty and according to the department/unit procedures for changing T&P policies.
- Promotions (p. 75)
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All members of the bargaining unit will now have promotion procedures, including Research Associates and Instructional Specialists
- Tuition Reimbursement for Non-Tenure Track Faculty (p. 115-116)
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Faculty who do not have the terminal degree but are enrolled in a program to earn it will now have tuition reimbursement at FIU rates for up to 6 credits per semester.
- Overload Pay (p. 63)
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Overload pay must be at least $1,000 per credit.
- Tuition Waivers (p. 114)
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Spouses may now take courses with tuition waived without having to enroll in a degree-seeking program.
- Grievance Time Limits (p. 22-23)
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The time limit to file grievances and complaints has been extended from 30 to 45 days.
- Domestic Partners (p. 93)
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Domestic partners of same or opposite sex are now recognized in the agreement, and employees have Bereavement Leave at the death of a partner.
- Policy Changes (p. 50)
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Policies may not be changed without collective bargaining.
- Job Abandonment (p. 78)
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Days when the university is closed may not be counted as days missed in deciding job abandonment.
- Dues Deduction and PAC Contributions (p. 32; 40-43)
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Minor changes made at UFF request.
- Copies of CBA (p. 34)
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Copies of the Collective Bargaining Agreement will only be available online (no hard copies), but will be in searchable format.
Rights, Benefits, Protections Weakened or Lost
None.
UFF Proposals Deferred to Future Bargaining
- Summer pay for tuition-generating activities like thesis and dissertation direction, not currently compensated.
- Additional benefits for domestic partners.
- Increase in overload pay minimum.
How FIU Spends Its Money - 2014
This report analyzes the trends in Florida International University (FIU) expenditures on faculty and faculty salaries compared to expenditures on administration and administrators' salaries for the years 2004 through 2013. Previous reports were produced in 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2011. This report extends the analysis of FIU's expenditures with data available in October 2013, including faculty salaries through the 2013-2014 academic year. This report supports previous findings that FIU is experiencing administrative bloat, expanding the resources of administration at the expense of instruction, research and service.
- Download the 2014 report in MS Word format.
- Download the 2014 report in PDF format (pages 1-13).
- Download the 2014 report in PDF format (pages 14-15).
- Download the 2014 report in PDF format (pages 16-23).
The Real Reason College Tuition Costs So Much
BOULDER, Colo. - ONCE upon a time in America, baby boomers paid for college with the money they made from their summer jobs. Then, over the course of the next few decades, public funding for higher education was slashed. These radical cuts forced universities to raise tuition year after year, which in turn forced the millennial generation to take on crushing educational debt loads, and everyone lived unhappily ever after.
Statewide UFF Elections
Jennifer Proffitt, FSU, is the new president of the statewide United Faculty of Florida.
Liz Davenport, FAMU, is the newly-elected Vice President.
UFF-FIU members were elected:
- UFF Delegates to the 2015 and 2016 National Education Association Representative Assembly: Deanne Butchey, Lauren Christos, Bruce Nissen, Moses Shumow
- FEA Delegates to the 2015 and 2016 NEA Represenative Assembly: Shane Landrum, Kathy Lineberger, Bruce Nissen
- UFF Delegates to the American Federation of Teachers 2016 National Assembly: Bruce Nissen, Moses ShumowStatewide UFF Elections
National Adjunct Walkout Day
On February 25, 2015 adjuncts across the country came together to insist on fair wages and better working conditions.
WLRN Coverage of the Activities at FIU
Adjuncts, instructors, professors and students show support.
About 30 people gathered at FIU's south campus by a large water fountain. Full-time instructors, part-time instructors and even students came out to support adjunct professors.
United Faculty of Florida estimates that adjuncts are teaching between 40 and 50 percent of university classes. They teach on a "per-course" basis, making less than half the salary of permanent professors.
Survey: The State of Adjunct Professors
In our new survey, 62 percent of adjuncts say they make less than $20,000 a year from teaching, and 88 percent say working with students is their favorite part.
Are Adjunct Professors the New Fast-Food Workers?
For many universities and colleges, both public and private, it's their most embarrassing secret-paying educated professionals minimum wage salaries with no benefits.
CFHE
Join the campaign for the Future of Higher Education
The Campaign for the Future of Higher Education is organized around SEVEN CORE PRINCIPLES that must define quality higher education for the 21st century.
The mission of the campaign is to ENSURE THAT AFFORDABLE QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION is accessible to all sectors of our society in the coming decades. This is a time of great change in higher education.
Visit the CFHE site.