Know Your Contract Proposals: Article VII. Institutional Commitments Pt. 2

Over the summer, we would like to go further in-depth into key contract proposals that affect UIC faculty workplace rights. This time, we’ll be looking at Article VII. Institutional Commitments. Read on for a discussion of the proposal’s highlights, the full proposal text, and why our proposals matter.

Remember: these are contract proposals; this language has not been agreed upon or signed into the contract.

Article Overview:
Institutional Commitments is arguably one of the most salient articles in the contract because it affects our daily lives on campus. It’s a long article with many disparate parts, but they all fall under the umbrella of what the university should provide faculty to be able to do their jobs. Today, we’re looking at Institutional Commitments proposals related to the common good; part 1 dealt with institutional monetary support.

New Draft Provisions Highlights (you can read the full proposal text here):

• E. Mental Health – The University shall:
  Hire more mental health professionals.
  Implement a pilot program of a crisis response team based on a co-responder model.
  Provide for faculty mental health leaders in departments through one course release per academic year.
• K. Gender Inclusive Resources
  All bargaining unit members have the right to use bathroom facilities that align with their gender identity, regardless of sex assigned at birth.
  To ensure access to centrally-located all-gender restrooms, the University shall add new all-gender restrooms to UIC Flames Athletic Center, UIC Science and Engineering Offices, Lincoln Hall, Lecture Center A, Lecture Center B, Lecture Center C, Lecture Center D, Lecture Center F, UIC Chemical Engineering Building, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs Hall
• L. Resources for Recruiting Diverse Faculty
  The University shall actively recruit diverse candidates for bargaining unit positions, including advertising job openings in places with high exposure to underrepresented groups, and at least 30% of external candidates shall be from underrepresented groups.
  The University shall track the self-identification of the race and ethnicity of applicants and bargaining unit hires based on Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines, and allow employees to self-identify their gender, sexual orientation, and disability status. The University shall provide the Union with an annual report on the diversity of applicant pools and faculty hires, aggregated sufficiently to protect individual privacy.
  To recruit diverse faculty, the University shall provide newly hired underrepresented faculty with $15,000 per year for three years, totaling $45,000. These funds shall be unrestricted and shall not expire.
• N. Transportation
  Transit Benefits: Any bargaining unit member who utilizes public transportation instead of driving will be incentivized in the form of compensation equal in value to 50% of the cost of parking at the location of employment on a semester or yearly basis.
  Bikes: the University will expand bike infrastructure on campus (pathways, bike cages, repair facilities, etc.) where necessary. The University will subsidize the purchase by a bargaining unit member of any bike or e-bike used to commute to and from the location of employment, under eligibility criteria to be mutually agreed upon.
  EV Chargers: the university will commit to providing charging stations at several parking lots throughout campus, including both East and West campuses. Use of the charging stations shall be free, but the posted fee to park at the parking facility must be paid. As a term and condition of employment, the University may not unilaterally increase parking fees without prior negotiations with the Union.
• O. Immigration
  We have provisions to protect international faculty, including paid time off to attend visa and immigration proceedings, and a legal fund to cover legal expenses if the immigration matter directly affects the employee’s ability to work at the University.

Why This Article Matters:

• Building from the momentum of our previous contract cycle, we have proposed concrete language around mental health resources on our campus. We have taken recommendations from various resources to increase mental health professionals and strengthen crisis response on campus for all.
• Management should follow through on its commitments to make our campus inclusive and accessible. To facilitate this, we have itemized buildings on campus in which gender-neutral bathrooms are needed.
• Recruiting diverse faculty requires real institutional investment. Our proposed contract language details the policies and resources we, as a faculty, believe management must commit in order to attract and retain a more diverse faculty body.
• Transportation benefits should reflect the realities of commuting and should align with our campus commitments to sustainability. In this proposal, we include incentives for public transit, expanded bike infrastructure and subsidies, and EV charging access to make it easier and more affordable for faculty to get to work.
• Now, more than ever, we must protect our international faculty members. We have included specific protections and supports for our international colleagues in this contract proposal.