It's Time to Ratify Our First Union Contract! 9am-5pm on Thursday and Friday

04/05/17

Dear Colleagues,

It’s time to ratify our first union contract! We will have voting from 9am-5pm on Thursday, April 6th at IC Square Meeting Room (The Fishbowl) and from 9am-5pm on Friday, April 7th at Dillingham Theatre Studio 2. We will have the contract on hand, as well as folks available to answer questions about it, at the voting locations.

As a committee, we strongly endorse the contract that we all fought so hard to achieve, and urge everyone to vote yes. So that everyone can understand the agreement, we emailed out (to all union members) the various tentative agreements which come to make up the collective bargaining agreement as a whole. After the vote, these will be made into one book, which means that all contingent faculty at IC (part-time and full-time) function as a single bargaining unit. This will give us a stronger position from which to move toward pay parity and other improvements in future contract negotiations. In addition, you can find contract highlights below.

As an update on the status of our three colleagues who were illegally retaliated against for their union activity, we are examining the behavior of specific administrators in this case. In particular, we are examining the actions of Vice President Nancy Pringle and Interim Provost Linda Petrosino. Though provisions in our new agreement will in the future protect contingent faculty from the sort of illegal action that the administration committed against three of our colleagues, it is unacceptable to allow blatant retaliation against faculty at IC for their political convictions to go unaddressed. More information on this issue will be forthcoming but, as a first step, please sign the petition in support of our illegally fired colleagues here.


Contract Highlights:
 

• An established path towards pay parity for PT faculty.  PT faculty will receive immediate raises, as well as immediate and annual raises totaling $1,025/3 credit course over the life of our contract.  We believe that because of our hard work, and the support of our allies, the administration is committed to the concept of pay parity going forward.
• More stability for FT contingent faculty.  FT contingent faculty will be eligible for two-year appointments after 3 years of teaching at IC and three-year appointments after 5 years of teaching at IC.
• More stability for PT contingent faculty.  PT contingent faculty will be eligible for two-year appointments after 3 years of teaching at IC.  In addition, if classes are cut last minute, PT contingent faculty will receive a $1,300 kill fee per class canceled.
• Part-time and full-time contingent faculty have won the right to be recognized as one union.
• Earlier notice of appointment for FT and PT contingent faculty to plan our lives.
• Guaranteed interview and consideration for minimally qualified FT and PT contingent faculty applying for any full-time faculty position.
• A grievance procedure as well as a just cause provision, so no one will be fired without just cause.
• A labor management committee which will meet regularly to discuss contingent faculty concerns.
• Contingent faculty will be eligible for the same teaching excellence awards as tenured and tenure track faculty.
• Contingent faculty will be given appropriate space to prepare for class and meet confidentially with students.
• Student evaluations will not be the sole criteria for judging the teaching effectiveness of contingent faculty.
• Earlier fall semester pay day for part-time faculty.
• Contingent faculty will have access to their personnel files.
• Contingent faculty will have access to the Mind, Body, Me program.
• Contingent faculty will no longer lose their email access between semesters or summers.
• Departments that meet consistently will invite all contingent faculty in such departments to one meeting per semester and make every effort to include contingent faculty in all academic activities, including curricular planning and development. That said, contingent faculty will not be required to participate in curricular planning and development nor any extra academic activities.
• Union representatives will have the right to present information to all new contingent faculty at their new employee orientation.

Bring any questions you may have about the contract to the vote, or email any member of the bargaining committee. Most importantly, come vote on Thursday or Friday! 
 

Mark Baustian, Lecturer  |  mbaustian@frontiernet.net
John Burger, Lecturer  |  jedmundburger@gmail.com
Brody Burroughs, Lecturer  |  brodyburroughs@gmail.com
Shoshe Cole, Asst. Professor  |  shoshe@astro.cornell.edu
Luke Fenchel, Lecturer  |  luke.fenchel@gmail.com
Tahlia Fischer, Lecturer  |  crazyfrets1@hotmail.com
Erin Francisco, Lecturer  |  francisco.erin@gmail.com
Megan Graham, Asst. Professor  |  mdgraham@gmail.com
Sarah Grunberg, Instructor  |  sgrunbe1@gmail.com
Rachel Gunderson, Instructor  |  rachelgunderson1@gmail.com
Rachel Kaufman, Lecturer  |  rkaufma2@binghamton.edu
Dave Kornreich, Asst. Professor  |  doctordave5474@gmail.com
Tom Schneller, Lecturer  |  wyckwyn@gmail.com
Edward Sorel, Instructor | psyresgrp@aol.com

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