Bargaining news: UFF-UF and University agree to salary reopener

Negotiations concerning the three-year, “full book” Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) were set aside this week to deal specifically with faculty raises for October 1.

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement does not expire until December 31st, while raises, according to a June announcement by UF President Kent Fuchs, are scheduled to take effect on October 1.  Your faculty UFF bargaining team agreed to reopen the salary article of the current contract so faculty in the bargaining unit would receive raises at the same time as out-of-unit administration, staff, and faculty.

This week’s negotiations will focus on how to allocate the funds available for faculty raises. Most UF employees without collective bargaining will see a 1% across the board raise and a 2% merit increase, unilaterally determined by the university. Your UFF faculty team is committed to a fair and transparent compensation package that takes into account department and unit by-laws and recognizes the meritorious performance by core faculty that got UF its top-ten ranking. Please support us in our efforts to make the best possible agreement with the board.

Once this reopener is concluded, everyone in the bargaining unit will have an opportunity to vote on the tentative agreement. Then, UFF will resume its fight for a broader, more comprehensive package of compensation proposals, which will:

  • Address compression and inversion
  • Increase promotion raises from 9% to 15%
  • Reinstitute sustained performance raises for full professors
  • Seek equitable salaries for faculty at PK Yonge,
  • Improve family and parental leave policies
  • Set the minimum faculty salaries at $55,000 (9-month), $61,000 (10-month), and $67,000 (12-month).

The Bargaining Team welcomes your thoughts and ideas.  Contact them at bargaining@uff-uf.org. Bargaining for the 2019-2020 salary reopener will take place from 1:30-3:00 pm on August 15th in Library West 212.  All faculty and the public are welcome to attend, as it is a public meeting under Florida’s Sunshine laws. Your presence makes a difference.