UC-AFT Faculty Bargaining Updates

The California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) has officially declared that our negotiations with UC management are at impasse. We enter impasse after more than two years of negotiations, having exchanged hundreds of proposals with UC management over about 50 different bargaining sessions.

UC-AFT Faculty Bargaining Session

UC-AFT Faculty Bargaining Sessions #38-39

February 12 and 26, 2021

Zoom

UC-AFT Faculty Bargaining Sessions #35-37

January 15, 21 and 26, 2021

Zoom

Nadine Fishel, UC’s chief negotiator, told us that they could move no further on the 10 Articles they passed on January 15. Then, in a recent meeting, she also informed us that management would pass one additional and final proposal on Article 7a. Nadine knows that Article 7a is our top priority and that our position is that it must include clear and consistent review process and criteria, multi-year appointments, and rehire rights based on qualifications and performance.

On February 1, UC-AFT Teaching Faculty marked the one-year anniversary of the expiration of our contract with a virtual rally and press conference. 190 members and allies tuned in to our zoom room and dozens more watched on Facebook Live.  Our campaign to secure job stability for Teaching Faculty at UC is strengthening and intensifying. We're building a network of members who are contacting colleagues to invite participation in our campaign.

UC-AFT Faculty Bargaining Session #32 and #33
November 12 and 18, 2020
Zoom

UC moved toward us on job security for the first time in months of negotiations.  They offered multi-year contracts with some pretty big loop-holes, but this is an improvement.  UC also changed their Duration proposal from a two-year contract to a five-year contract. According to UC's Chief Negotiator, Nadine Fishel, our job security proposals are, "not two-year proposals."  This is a signal that UC may be preparing to move even further on job security in exchange for a longer term contract. 

We Have Ability, We Need Stability!

Our members along with faculty, student and community allies continue to show up to bargaining and give voice to the experiences and values underlying our demands for job stability. Opening comments once again offered an extremely powerful testament to our members’ commitment to our students, to teaching and for a transition to jobs with dignity and security.

“I hope that all of the UCOP representatives here today realize that we are skilled, experienced, talented and passionate educators. We have ability, we need stability. Please, please bring us a legit proposal that we can actually take seriously, and that will provide us job security now.” Caroline Luce, UCLA

Teaching Faculty at the University of California are working through our union, UC-AFT, toward a more equitable University for faculty and high quality education for students. We're fighting for job stability measures that will allow proven teachers to remain in the classroom and continue to provide excellent instruction. Right now, the UC system churns through nearly 2000 teaching faculty every year...forcing great teachers out of the profession at the expense of students. Join our fight for Faculty Equity and Student Success. Solidarity Defeats Precarity! Together we can do this!

Stability Makes Administrative Sense and Improves Quality of Instruction

“As a student, I strongly agree with what the other folks here are saying regarding stability. I have always had much better class experiences from teachers that have been able to stick around for a while and know the departments, systems, etc. If my teachers aren’t able to do that, because of a lack of stability in their contract, it really hurts the educational experience for students like me.
”

“I Will Not Vote for a Contract that Does Not Include Job Stability”

During observer introductions, dozens of lecturers affirmed and re-affirmed to UC management’s executives and lawyers that they will not vote to ratify a contract that lacks significant improvements in pre-continuing job stability.