Contract Negotiations Completed TA’d contract is for 2010-2013 with reopener on semester conversion issues in January 2012 Chapter members to begin balloting September 3

The final elements of a tentative contract agreement have now been TA’d at the bargaining table. The full tentative agreement will be sent to AAUP Chapter voting members for ratification, with a recommendation that members vote to approve it.

This tentative agreement, if approved by the Chapter members, represents a fundamental change in the nature of the faculty compensation package. While we are not entirely satisfied with the financial package, given the current larger economic context in which all Americans are operating at this moment, we believe it is a solid agreement that includes a number of positive changes.

This tentative agreement would also build on some of the significant improvements that were made in the 2007-2010 contract (e.g., new grievance procedure and health insurance premium formula) and adds several significant improvements that we believe will be helpful to all Faculty Members in their day-to-day professional lives (e.g., “clean” and easier-to-read language in Article 7, increased funding for Faculty Development, a significant increase in minimum salaries, new faculty titles that better describe faculty roles, and an expedited review option for off-tenuretrack faculty). It also includes several building blocks that we believe lay the groundwork for future improvements (e.g., committee on Faculty Development, and a different kind of compensation structure Chapter Bulletin with specific tools to address specific problems).   (See more.)

 

Use our calculator to estimate how the new compensation package will affect your salary for 2010. 

 

Making Choices: Keeping the Public University Doors Open to Ohio’s Citizens

The 1990s and 2000s were decades in which many segments of American society spent beyond their means. We’re all paying the price now, and will for some time. But gutting the basics will not solve our problems. Instead, we must all make better choices about how we spend the money we do have. We must stop splurging on luxuries and instead prioritize the fundamentals. We can build our way back to financial health by building real value and investing in skills and infrastructure that will give this state and this country a solid future.   This university is no different.  (Click here for full story.)

Investing in Faculty Excellence:  The Next Crucial Step into the 21st Century

I’m often astounded by the changes I’ve observed in my 38 years as an undergraduate student, graduate student, researcher, and faculty member at UC.  Today, we are classified as a Carnegie Research University/Very High, and ranked as one of America’s top public research universities by the National Science Foundation. While the entire UC community can take pride in this university, there is no question that the excellence, hard work, and dedication of UC’s faculty has been key in the institution’s advancement.  Indeed, more so than any other element of our complex institution, the faculty is the university. We teach, guide, and mentor students. We write the grants that bring in outside funding (over $330 million last year alone). We perform the research and write the scholarly mono-graphs and articles that advance academic knowledge, provide the basis for entrepreneurial ventures, and bring prestige to the University. We play an important role in the governance of the institution. Twenty years ago, the previous administration and the State of Ohio felt that our physical plant was deteriorating and could not support our aspirations of greatness.  We now have a re-built and revitalized campus, which is a great asset.  

Now comes the next step. The University community is facing a second and equally serious challenge, as shown in the table below. While the faculty has grown over the past 14 years, there has been a decline in the number of tenured and tenure-eligible faculty members, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of the total bargaining unit.¹ While the decline in the percentage of the faculty on the tenure track has long been understood to have negative consequences on many fronts, what this table makes crystal clear is the nearly five-year increase in the age of the average tenured faculty member. To me, that’s an equally scary number.   (click here for full story)

______________________________________________________________ Gary Rhoades, General Secretary, National AAUP October, 16, 2009 – UC Presentation Video – 107 Linder Hall, College of Business http://www.cba.uc.edu/cf/SpEvents/Gary_Rhoades_101609/index.html ______________________________________________________________