VENI, VIDI, VICI
This
is a letter from United Faculty of Florida (USF Chapter) Collective
Bargaining Team - which represents the approximately 1,650 in-unit employees
in bargaining - to the USF Community.
Unfortunately,
it was only VENI and VIDI at the collective bargaining session on April
11, 2014. There was no VICI as the employees were dealt “a low blow” and then a “sucker punch” by the USF/BOT
collective bargaining team, which exhibited “bad manners” (a new collective bargaining term) by again
making proposals that again amounted to “poison
pills” and that again “marginalize”
the salary and benefits of the underpaid and under-appreciated
employees. Maybe “short changes”
the employees would better describe said proposals.
UFF
RESPONSE Would agree
to the 2.5% merit salary pool effective upon ratification by both
parties: IF, and
only IF, USF will pay all of the employees who receive a merit base
salary increase a 2.5% bonus payable thirty (30) days
after ratification by both parties. This could be a straight 2.5% of the
employee’s base salary or the equivalent of what the employee would
have received from the 2.5% merit salary pool pursuant to the
employee’s annual evaluation. This way there is no
retroactivity, but an employee would recoup some
amount that she/he lost for the first nine (9) months of
the 2013-2014 academic year, AND IF the new CBA is effective on
August 7, 2013, and runs through August 6, 2014, (one year) so
there would be negotiations for a 2014-2015 replacement CBA. 2.
ADI annual salary pool of 1.0%.
What does the term “annual” mean? It is not defined
in the CBA. That could mean 1.0% from ratification in May,
2014, through December 31, 2014, and then again from January 1, 2015, through
May 31, 2015, thus resulting in 2.00% ADI. The UFF collective bargaining
team asked the USF/BOT collective bargaining team for clarification of
the word “annual”. Remember, only approximately 20% of the
employees received an ADI distribution during 2012-2013, which ranged
from $50.00 to $50,055.00. UFF
RESPONSE Would agree
if USF has the authority to distribute a total of only
1.0%. 3. The
USF/BOT collective bargaining team would not discuss the $600.00 State
of Florida bonus which is to be given in June, 2014,
to 35% of the total number of employees at USF as it said it did not have
sufficient information to do so. UFF
RESPONSE Want to
negotiate any distribution of the $600.00 June 2014, State of USF/BOT
APPOINTMENT PROPOSAL UFF
RESPONSE Would
not agree. USF/BOT
SICK LEAVE PAYOUT PROPOSAL USF/BOT
wants to freeze the hourly rate paid to you for up to 480 hours of your
accrued and unused sick leave when you leave USF at your current hourly
rate rather than your hourly rate when you leave USF. UFF
RESPONSE Would
not agree to the hourly rate change. ALERT ALERT ALERT WHO teaches
the students, WHO researches and publishes the results which may lead to
patents, WHO serves on committees, WHO serves the community, WHO obtains
grants ALL of which the USF administrators boast and brag about as they
travel throughout the known universe? YOU, that's WHO,
and YOU desire better treatment. YOU deserve more than a pat on the back or a
plaque or a certificate. When the
size of cash reserves becomes more important than the fair and equitable
treatment of the employees, “There is really something wrong with such
a system.” After you
read the above, you might be interested in going to the Internet in order to
search for, watch, and listen to “Capuchin monkeys reject
unequal pay” and “Strawbs - Part
of the Union 1973”. And then please fill out the UFF membership form
and send it in. From the United Faculty of Florida
(USF Chapter) Collective Bargaining Team: Ross Alander, Katerina Annaraud, Adrienne Berarducci,
Steve Lang, Steve Permuth,
Frank Pyrtle, III, Robert F. Welker, Chief Negotiator Bargaining reports at Chapter
meetings. Our chief negotiator reports on bargaining
at every chapter meeting, and all UFF USF employees
are invited. Watch the UFF (Faculty
Union) Biweekly for time & place. |