United Faculty of Central

The Faculty Union of Central Washington University

Bargaining Updates

August 2008 Bargaining Update

At the moment, I and the executive board are starting to put together the bargaining team. Our plan is to:

1. Gather information from faculty during the fall regarding what they like, don't like, and how they would change it. Particularly how they would change it. Stewards will be critical in having conversations with their department members and passing that information on to the team.
2. The bargaining team will compile the information and turn it into contract language.
3. We will have an all members meeting in January 2009 to, hopefully, give the bargaining team UFC's blessing to carry forward with the main changes we will propose to the CBA.
4. In February, we will start bargaining with the administration.
5. Our hope is to get everything done except financials by the end of spring quarter (and financials soon after we hear regarding State allocations).

February 2008 Bargaining Update

With the ratification of the reopeners last December, we've completed bargaining for the next year or so. However, the CBA expires on 31 August, 2009. As such, we hope to start bargaining a new contract in the spring of 2009.

December 2007 Bargaining Update

UFC/CWU Ratify Bargaining Agreement

Local media coverage:

• Central faculty gets new contract
  Yakima Herald Republic, 8 December 2007
  
  
• Faculty, CWU come to contract agreement
  Ellensburg's Daily Record, 6 December 2007

November 2007 Bargaining Update

UFC/CWU Reach Tentative Agreement on Bargaining Issues

UFC negotiated 8.2% in overall compensation.
Read the full statement from UFC President Bob Hickey

Other news about the Tentative Agreement:

• Joint statement from Bob Hickey and Wayne Quirk
• Summary Bargaining Document
• Text of Agreements: Article1, Article10, Article20, Compensation
• UFC Contract Ratification Procedures

Local media coverage:

• Union members to vote on agreement
  CWU's The Observer, 29 November 2007

October 2007 Bargaining Update

All Faculty Meeting held 25 October 2007

Local media coverage:

• CWU faculty plan to protest over pay
  United Faculty of Central News Release 10/24/07
  
  
• Faculty rally for group consensus
  CWU's The Observer, 1 November 2007
  
  
• Faculty at CWU say they're underpaid
  Yakima Herald-Republic, 28 October 2007

September 2007 Bargaining Update

The bargaining teams made considerable progress this summer, reaching tentative agreements on positive changes to articles 10 (NTT Faculty) and 20 (RPT/PTR). However, bargaining has stalled over compensation. Read the union's position.

June 2007 Bargaining Update

Bargaining has started! We had our first meeting on 20 June, when we traded proposals. Unfortunately, due to scheduling issues, bargaining will stretch out at least into August (the administration's lawyer was already heavily booked - lesson learned: book bargaining dates far in advance).

UFC has chosen to reopen articles 10 and 20: NTT Faculty and RPT/PTR, respectively. In short, we are looking for a better deal for our adjunct faculty and improving the RPT/PTR process that caused so much angst this year. The administration also reopened article 20, having some (but not all) similar issues with the processes.

These articles were selected based primarily upon the survey mentioned below. Remember, workloads were not an eligible topic for this year's reopeners.

In addition, financials are on the table and we have yet to discuss this at the table.

And that's the news. As mentioned, bargaining will trickle along for the next few months. As soon as there's something significant to say, it will be posted here and emailed to members.

May 2007 Bargaining Update

The bargaining session for re-openers will be early June 2007.

To gather faculty input, we have distributed a survey to all members. We also conducted on May 10, 2007, a drop-in session for all faculty at the Grupe Center on the Ellensburg campus. We have been receiving communication from faculty on what articles they consider most important for re-openers (see Art. 29.2) and also for compensation. A summary of this information will be distributed to members as soon as possible.

This session's bargaining team members are:

• Wendy Bohrson
• Daniel CannCasciato
• Karen Gookin
• Peter Gries
• Bob Hickey
• Brenda Hubbard
• Keith Lewis
• Charlie Rubin

Our chief negotiator will be Edward Taub, our UFWS service representative. Questions or comments? Please contact a member of the team.

1005-2006 UFC Bargaining Team

The members of the Bargaining Team should all be patted on the back when you see them. All of them continued with their other duties during last year's negotiations. None of them had any release time to be part of the bargaining process. Their dedication was incredible. A sterling example was Wendy Bohrson. While on sabbatical, she sat in for almost four days of negotiations in late October 2005 while she was back in town. They all deserve our thanks and appreciation. They are:

• Pedro Bicchieri; Asia Univ./Int'l Studies (Spring -- Fall 2005)
• Wendy Bohrson; Geology (Spring through late summer 2005)
• Minerva Caples; Education
• Terry DeVietti; Psychology
• Peter Gries; Music
• Bob Hickey; Geography
• Brenda Hubbard; Theater
• Karen Gookin, English (Fall 2005 and Winter 2006)
• Keith Lewis; Art
• Bob Ota; ComputerSci/IET (Spring and Summer 2005)
• Charles Rubin; Geology
• Steve Schepman, Business Admin. (Summer 2005 -- Winter 2006)

Groundbreaking new contract for Central faculty!

The United Faculty of Central's new two-year contract [PDF, 5.3MB]

United Faculty of Central has ratified its first collective bargaining agreement with Central Washington University.

"I am pleased to announce that members of the United Faculty of Central approved on Thursday, Feb. 16, by a margin of 96 percent, the tentative collective bargaining agreement with Central Washington University," said UFC President Daniel CannCasciato. "The University's Board of Trustees is expected to ratify the contract at its meeting on March 3rd."

Overall compensation increases for tenured and tenure-track faculty will be approximately 11 percent. Faculty will receive cost-of-living increases totaling 8.25 percent over the next two years, a one-time $600 payment to all full-time faculty, plus a 1 percent merit bonus for qualifying faculty. The administration will pay all long-term disability insurance premiums. Guaranteed base salaries are increased for assistant professors, associate professors and full professors; department chair compensation is boosted by 7.5 percent.

Non-tenure-track faculty will receive the 8.25 percent COLA. Those with five or more years of service and a half-time or greater workload are eligible for a 10 percent advancement.

The contract also includes a new language supporting academic freedom, preventing discrimination and harassment, addressing workload and establishing clear criteria for tenure decisions.

"The administration and the union bargained in good faith over several months to produce this benchmark agreement," said Daniel CannCasciato, President of United Faculty of Central. "Departmental stewards have gotten the first look at the total agreement and unanimously recommend a 'yes' vote. Your bargaining team recommends a 'yes' vote. I'm confident that when you see the full agreement you, too, will vote 'yes.'"

The tentative pact marks the first such agreement reached under the state's new collective bargaining law covering four-year faculty.

"Thanks to all the members of our bargaining team and thanks to each of you for your support," CannCasciato added. "Together we made history."