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UFE Membership Update, March 2020

Posted on Author gracehue

Mar 5, 2020. Greetings UFE members! In case you haven’t heard, House Bill 1888 passed and is on to the governor for his signature. House Bill 1888 closes a loophole in the Public Records Act and helps protect the privacy and safety of school employees and other public workers. See this link for more info: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1888&Year=2019&Initiative=false

Grace Huerta–UFE Chair
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February, 2020 — Hi UFE Members! The UFE hosted a winter social on Friday evening, Feb. 28, 2020. Thanks to everyone in attendance. In other news, the UFE held a membership meeting on Monday, Oct. 14, 2019. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the college recovery initiatives and the support of faculty with regular appointments who are still on term contracts (i.e. tenure-track faculty). In review, below are other major points addressed at the meeting and our recent accomplishments in 2019-20.

October, 2020. The TESC/ UFE CBA Guarantees Academic Work and Judgment as the Sole Criterian Deciding Tenure at Evergreen.

There are some who have challenged this quarter the tenure process at Evergreen (yes, we use different language at Evergreen, regular term and continuing faculty for tenure track and tenured faculty).

Our CBA protects the integrity of academic work and judgement in determining term and continuing contracts. Tenure decisions are not made about money or budget cuts. Money is not a criteria.

Both UFE and TESC agree to the following contractual language:

Article 5 Faculty Membership

5.2 Regular Faculty. If the faculty member meets the standards and criteria for conversion in Section 11.2, he or she will receive a three-year term contract. If the member meets the standards and criteria for reappointment described in Section 11.3, a second term contract leads to a continuing contract.

The CBA is clear: academic work and judgment lead to decisions about tenure. Nothing else.

Article 9 Regular Faculty Review

9.1 Criteria used for all regular faculty reviews are based on the faculty member’s responsibilities as defined in Article 6 of this Agreement and documented in the faculty member’s portfolio.

The CBA is clear: academic work documented in the portfolio and academic judgment based on Article 6 Professional Responsibilities lead to tenure. Nothing else.

Article 11 Regular Faculty Appointment, Reappointment and Conversion.

11.1 Criteria used for reappointment and conversion are based on the faculty member’s responsibilities as defined in Article 6 of this Agreement and documented in the faculty member portfolio.

The CBA is clear. Academic work documented in the portfolio and academic judgment based on Article 6 Professional Responsibilities are the only criteria in determining tenure. Nothing else.

If the TESC Administration wants to address faculty line reductions, there are CBA provisions in Article 16 Professional Leave and Article 23 Reduction in Force.  They can also propose another supplemental Early Retirement proposal. They cannot do a silent RIF by destroying the contractual processes for tenure enshrined in the CBA.

UFE will defend tenure. We will defend commitments made to term faculty. Without tenure, there is no College.

The UFE Bargaining Team

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Sept.- Oct, 2019-2020. UFE Accomplishments: as we completed our 2019 contract re-opener, it was good to look back at our collective union efforts over time. Given the challenges facing Evergreen, we have sought to “pitch in” and continue to support the mission of the College, while addressing the working conditions of the faculty and the learning conditions of the students. Here are some of our gains and efforts during the past few years:

  • Ongoing protection of the faculty with regular appointments who are currently on term contracts;
  • 3% wage increase for all faculty in 2020-21;
  • 3% wage increase for all faculty in 2019-20;
  • 2% wage increase for all faculty in 2017-19;
  • 3% wage increase for all faculty in 2016-17;
  • 3% wage increase for all faculty in 2015-16;
  • 5.5% wage increase for all faculty in 2013-14;
  • 12.5% wage increase for all faculty in 2008-10, plus additional pay increases for adjunct faculty;
  • Paths of Study & Curriculum Area Team (CAT) co-authors, planning & implementation w/TESC admin, 2018-2021; negotiated CAT leader paid release time;
  • Bargain and administer the 2018-21 CBA through contract negotiations and ongoing labor/management meetings;
  • Strong grievance procedure, including due process rights for all faculty members;
  • Revisions to the waiver policy regarding teaching partners and lower division teaching commitments;
  • Protection of sabbatical lines;
  • Protection of post-retirement contracts;
  • Restoration of summer institute funding beginning in 2015 through 2021;
  • Expansion of parental leave to include all parents, regardless of gender;
  • Expansion of medical leave for adjunct faculty;
  • Increased job security for adjuncts through the establishment of multi-year contracts;
  • Hiring process/eligibility for 10 long-term adjuncts to tenure-track, ½-time EWS faculty from 2016-2020;
  • Opportunity for further transition of long-term EWS adjunct faculty in 2017-18;
  • One-time conversion of 4 long-time adjunct faculty members to regular status in 2008;
  • Creation of The UFE Memorial Fund, in honor of our founding UFE faculty members, Jose Gomez and Zahid Shariff;
  • Expansion of the UFE Solidarity Scholarship Fund: $12,000-$8000 awards available beginning 2018-19. In 2019-20, the UFE awarded scholarships @ $1000 per student  (including eligibility for DACA & undocumented students);
  • Ongoing support of community and education partnerships through the UFE Solidarity Fund;
  • Creation of a UFE Political Endorsement Protocol & Application, 2019. See: https://www.ufevergreen.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/UFE-Endorsement-Application-Final-1.0.docx