News

08 May UIUC Non-Tenure Track Ratify Their First Contract!

Great news! Our sister union at University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, Non-Tenure Faculty Coalition, Local 6546, (AFT/IFT/AAUP) has ratified its first contract by an overwhelming majority.

UIC United Faculty congratulates NTFC, as well as Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson and Interim Provost Edward Feser, for reaching an agreement that will provide the teaching faculty at UIUC with some modicum of economic security and academic freedom. This collective bargaining agreement represents a significant step forward for the teaching mission of UIUC.

The IELRB recognized NTFC in July 2014. They began bargaining their contract in October 2014.

The new, five-year contract will provide full-time non-tenure-system faculty at UIUC with three-month advance notice rights prior to the beginning of the semester, and one year of extra job security for long-term faculty, beyond the duration of their current one-year contract.

NTFC Communications Chair, Dorothee Schneider, says the contract covers the “most high-priority issues for the union, whose members asked for greater employment security, academic freedom protections and participation in faculty governance.”

The contract, for August 16, 2014 – August 15, 2019, includes an option to reopen the provision on compensation next year (for the 2017-18 year). It includes:

* 2014-15: 2.5% Campus Wage program (merit pool) 2015-16: eligibility for CWP;

* 2016-17: eligibility for CWP and CMER (compression, market, equity, retention) programs;

* 2017-18: $43,000 floor, eligibility for CWP and CMER

* 2018-19: $45,000 floor, eligibility for CWP and CMER Bonus: wage reopener (at union’s request);

* 2-year window for departments to alter their bylaws to include NTTs in faculty governance;

* 2-year window for departments to alter their bylaws to create a clear evaluation system;

* A clear, multi-tier grievance system;

* Rolling 1+1 appointments (for 6th year or above; in effect Fall 2017); and

* Clear reappointment policies (notice by May 1).

Note: multi-year contracts will continue through college policies, and will be encouraged.

04 Apr UIC Healthcare Concerns

As reported at our membership meeting last month, we drafted and sent in January a joint letter from the UIC Academic Professional Advisory Committee, UIC Faculty Senate, UIC Staff Advisory Council, and UIC United Faculty to President Killeen regarding our serious concerns about anticipated changes in health care costs. These are also concerns of our Chancellor, who has met with the president and other UI chancellors. The response we got was disappointing, taking a “wait and see” approach. Our joint response in a letter sent two weeks ago was to meet as soon as possible, to prepare and develop potential strategies laid out in our initial letter. We are still waiting for a reply but will follow up and keep you informed.  Correspondence between our Coalition and the University is linked below.

Original Letter: Healthcare-UIC Faculty Staff Concerns 1-22-16

Killeen’s Response: Letter from Killeen rcd 3-7-16

CoalitionFollowup: Follow-up Healthcare letter to President Killeen 3-24-16

Killeen Establishing Task Force Killeen Letter to UICUF 4-26-16

04 Apr UICUF Spring Meeting

We had a great meeting on March 9th with updates on Organizing, Contract Implementation, Healthcare, Union Committees, and Legislation. If you were not able to attend, a PDF of the powerpoint is linked below.

UICUF Spring Meeting

06 Feb Free Higher Ed Event

On Thursday, January 28 UICUF hosted a panel discussion in support of free public higher education. We had about 150 attendees join us at Student Center East.

Chicago Public Access TV recorded the discussion for our friends and allies who were not able to make it.

The Speakers (in order) are

Gianna Chacon, IIRon Student Network Leader and Student at Roosevelt University
Kenneth Warren, U of Chicago Professor of English and author of What Was African American Literature?
Walter Benn Michaels, UIC Professor of English and author of The Beauty of a Social Problem
Adolph Reed, Jr., U of Pennsylvania Professor of Political Science and author of Without Justice for All: The New Liberalism and the Retreat from Racial Equality
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, a student leader in the 300,000-strong student protests in Québec and author of a book about the movement, In Defiance.
Jennifer Ashton,(moderator) UIC Associate Professor of English and Vice President Chief Steward of UIC United Faculty

17 Dec Contracts Signed, Updates on Raises, Healthcare, and University Budget

Contracts: Our contracts are signed and effective as of the beginning of this academic year. If you have questions about how the new language on salary increases, professional development funds, modified teaching duties, computer replacement program, minimum salary, multi-year contracts, or promotions, ask your college representative. A list of reps can be found on our website. We will also be including a publication early in the spring that highlights some of the contract language.

We continue to meet with the administration to work out issues of implementation. As I have said, Chancellor Amiridis was very helpful in ensuring that we settled in these uncertain budgetary times. I feel that our union has transitioned from the constant contretemps with the campus administration that marked our infancy to a new period as a powerful and credible voice on campus. Nevertheless, we have to maintain our focus as a union that values organizing and social justice because there are still forces in the State and University Administration who want to decrease higher-ed funding, limit opportunities for our students, and erode our role as partners in the shared governance of this university.

CMER Raises: While the university has not yet announced a university wide salary increase program for all employees, the raises we bargained for Compression, Market, Equity, and Retention (CMER) will be implemented next semester. It is not clear to us that the University will give raises this year to non-unionized faculty and academic professionals in Chicago, Urbana or Springfield, but we are continuing to monitor the situation. If the university announces a salary program for all employees, we will receive that increase in addition to the CMER raise.
We are hearing that CMER raises will be calculated in January and entered in to salary planner in February. The new salary amount will be reflected in the March 15, 2015 payroll. Any retroactive monies owed will be paid on the April 15, 2015 payroll. At the end of the academic year, we will work with the Administration to ensure they distributed the CMER funds appropriately.

Healthcare: As you probably know, our healthcare is administered by the State’s Department of Central Management Services (CMS). Although over 350,000 Illinoisans are covered by the CMS plans, Governor Rauner bargains with AFSCME—the union representing state employees—about healthcare levels and costs. AFSMCE tells us that he is seeking $700 million in healthcare savings through employee give-backs and cost increases. We know that CMS will not make any changes this fiscal year, but they are looking at the possibility of changes beginning July 1, 2016. AFSCME calculates that the changes that the Governor is proposing would cost the average worker $3,100 through increased premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses. UICUF takes this issue very seriously. We were not legally able to bargain changes to our healthcare because the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1977 prevents it, but we are working with the Senate and Administration to present a united front on this issue to the Governor. UICUF is also in communication with AFSCME to support them in their fight with the Governor. They recently held a very well attended Rally in Chicago that our leadership attended. We will be sure to update you as we receive new information about possible healthcare changes.

University Budget: Our union examined the state budget crisis at it affects the U of I and has this to report: The U of I System is owed more than $460 million by the state which cannot be reimbursed because there is no budget. $31 million of those funds are for MAP grand funding for 15,000 students in the U of I system. UIC students make up more than half of all MAP recipients in the U of I system. We also found that the U of I is spending upwards of $75 million per month in reserves to make payroll and pay day-to-day expenses. We calculate that the university holds approximately $2 billion total in reserves, so while the 4% monthly withdraw is not immediately painful, it is certainly unsustainable. Other public universities in Illinois are in much worse shape. Western Illinois has announced the layoffs of 50 faculty. Eastern Illinois is looking at shutting down in the spring semester. SIU has not filled faculty vacancies to the tune of $13.5 million, leading to larger class sizes. Chicago State’s president said he is looking at personnel cuts for next semester. Our union supports House Bill 4156, which will restore higher-ed funding. It is currently on second reading in the house. The Bill is sponsored by Representative Kelly Burke, but has 61 co-sponsors.

Thank you, have a great winter break. We will hold an all-member meeting in the spring, but in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the other officers or reps with questions or concerns.

Janet Smith, UICUF President

27 Oct Ratification Meetings

UICUF asks every member to come and review and ratify the new 3-year contract at the lobbies of University Hall (UH), Science & Engineering Offices (SEO), or School of Public Health (SPH) today (Tuesday 10-27) 12-4p or tomorrow (Wednesday 10-28) 9a-1p.  If you’re working mainly on the West Side, you can also come to the West Campus ratification meeting, which takes place today (Tuesday 10-27) from 10:30a-12p at Student Center West, Rooms 206 A & B.

21 Sep Wisconsin Panel

UIC United Faculty is sponsoring a presentation titled, “Defending the University of Wisconsin: What Happened and What is to Come?” The event features David Vanness, Associate Professor of Population Health Sciences, UW-Madison, and Rachel Buff, Associate Professor of History, UW-Milwaukee. The discussion will take place Wednesday, September 30th, 2015 from 7-9pm at the Jane Adams Hull House on the UIC campus.

Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
The University of Illinois at Chicago
800 S. Halsted (M/C 051)
Chicago, IL 60607-7017

05 Sep Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Happy Labor Day Weekend.

26 Aug Fall Member Meeting

The UIC United Faculty Fall Member meeting will take place Wednesday August 26, 2015 from 330-530pm in the Cardinal Room (329) at the Student Center East on the UIC campus.

Student Center East
The University of Illinois at Chicago
750 S. Halsted. St.
Chicago, IL 60607-7017

24 Aug Welcome Back to School!

Welcome Back to School!