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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
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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.
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Making Choices: Keeping the Public University
Doors Open to Ohio’s Citizens
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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.)
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Investing in Faculty Excellence: The Next Crucial Step
into the 21st Century |
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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)
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