Dear Colleagues,
This email contains three main items:
- A link to UTFA’s Executive Summary of Arbitrator Eli Gedalof’s recent award.
- An update on who will benefit from the award and how it will be implemented.
- An invitation to our Bargaining Town Halls. Come and meet your UTFA Co-Chief Negotiators, and help shape our bargaining priorities for the current round!
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- As promised, please see here for an Executive Summary of Arbitrator Eli Gedalof’s arbitration award issued on September 7, 2023. The Executive Summary provides an overview of the arguments made by both UTFA and the Administration with respect to your salary, workload, and the impact of our Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)—the agreement that delimits the interventions an arbitrator can make in areas like salary and workload. It also provides a focused look at Arbitrator Gedalof’s assessments of these arguments and reasons for the award.
- UTFA continues to advocate that the Administration equitably implement the award, particularly with respect to the 7% salary increase. When UTFA met with the Administration early last week, we conveyed our firm expectation that all our members receive equitable pay increases following the arbitration award. We are very pleased to confirm that our efforts proved successful insofar as the Administration has now agreed that all faculty and librarians appointed on and after July 1, 2022, including those appointed on July 1, 2023, will receive the additional 7% ATB adjustment retroactive to their start dates. It has also been confirmed that members who resigned between July 1, 2022, and September 6, 2023, will receive retroactive compensation. Additionally, members who retired effective July 1, 2023, will receive retroactive compensation as well as an increase to their pension. We have yet to receive confirmation from the Administration of the salary increase for our members on approved leaves during the academic year 2022-2023 or on unpaid leaves now. We are pressing the Administration to provide timely answers to UTFA and to confirm the broadest possible application of the pay increase for our members. We hope to have more information for you very soon and will write with further updates as they become available.
- Please RSVP below to attend one of our interactive Town Halls. Hear from your Chief Negotiators about what the award means for you, learn more about how it’s being implemented, and help shape our current round of bargaining. Please register for the session you wish to attend below. Questions may be sent in advance when you register, or be raised, time permitting, at each Town Hall.
UTFA Town Halls on the 2022-2023 Arbitration Award and Current Bargaining
- Thursday, October 12, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Via Zoom - Register here for this session
- Friday, October 13, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Via Zoom - Register here for this session
- Thursday, October 26, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. In-person, UTSG - Email faculty@utfa.org to register for this session.
We look forward to meeting with you soon!
Sincerely,
Terezia Zorić, UTFA President & Negotiating Team Co-Chief Negotiator
Ariel Katz, UTFA Vice-President, Salary, Benefits, Pensions and Workload & Negotiating Team Co-Chief Negotiator
Jun Nogami, former UTFA Vice-President, Salary, Benefits, Pensions and Workload & 2020-2023 UTFA Negotiating Team Co-Chief Negotiator
Deborah Cowen, Chair, UTFA Membership Committee