by Ariel Katz
Update on the Current Round of Bargaining for Salary, Benefits, and Workload
We are currently bargaining for the July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, period, but an Agreement may be reached for a longer term.
The Third Year of the Current Agreement Goes to Arbitration
SBPW Bargaining
This past year UTFA’s bargaining team engaged in a tough round of negotiations with the Administration, resulting in a three-year agreement covering the period from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2023. The outcome of negotiations/mediation determined salary and benefits improvements for the first two years of the deal. The terms for the third year will be determined in the fall through arbitration.
Since I last wrote to the membership, the UTFA teams I have led have been very busy in a range of policy-related negotiations with the Administration, and we have made significant progress on several long-term and equity-focused initiatives. New and serious issues have arisen due to the COVID-19 pandemic—including such as relate to members’ health and safety; needs for accommodation; academic freedom; workload concerns; and, mode of course delivery. As of July 1, 2020, I will be tackling these issues as UTFA’s incoming president.
I hope this report finds you well on your way to productively wrapping up your Winter 2019 term. Below I will touch upon the negotiations and work I have contributed to or undertaken this year on your behalf.
Mediation
On the evening of Wednesday, April 25, the UTFA Negotiating Team for Salary, Benefits, Pensions and Workload reached agreement on a tentative two-year settlement, covering the period July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020. This agreement is subject to ratification by UTFA Council and by the Administration.
I assumed the role of Vice-President, Salary, Benefits, Pensions and Workload after the last round of bargaining, and I would like to thank Paul Downes for making the transition smooth.
At its December 14th meeting, UTFA Council voted unanimously to ratify the recent settlement, most of the terms of which were agreed upon in mediation with Mr. Kevin Burkett and Mr. William Kaplan. Links to the full text of the agreement are provided at the bottom of this page, including the annual Across The Board (ATB) salary increases for faculty and librarians that were issued as an arbitration award by Mr. William Kaplan on November 27.
Dear Colleagues,
We are very pleased to be able to convey to you the terms of a (mostly) mediated settlement reached on Saturday, November 21, in negotiations between UTFA and the University administration.