UC-AFT Faculty Bargaining Updates

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.
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“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.

UC’s Lead Negotiator Disavows High Faculty Turnover Rate

Representing the UC Office of the President, lead negotiator Nadine Fishel said that UC admin is “interested in solving problems and coming up with solutions.” But when asked directly whether UCOP considers a documented 26% annual turnover rate (meaning about 1600 teaching faculty lose their jobs each year) to be a problem, Fishel said she “wouldn’t necessarily characterize it as very high,” and told us that “assistant professors also don’t have job security, so you’re not the only employees at the UC in this situation.”

UC-AFT Passes Three Proposals on Job Stability, New Faculty Orientations, and Release Time

Nearly 100 UC-AFT members and supporters backed the UC-AFT volunteer faculty negotiators as they presented our latest counterproposal on Article 7a--Pre-Six Appointments. We’re standing firm on our demands for rehiring rights, multi-year appointments, earlier appointment letters, notice of non-reappointment, and peer-reviewed evaluations of teaching.

Over 160 Members and Allies Pack the Zoom Room!

We set a record for the number of lecturers and allies attending bargaining on July 14. Even more impressive was the fact that the vast majority of the folks on the call said out loud: “If UC admin forces us to impasses, I will support a strike.” This was a massive and impressive display of collective power. Nadine Fishel - the UC chief negotiator - did not like that one bit and tried to downplay her own decision-making authority.

UC Punts Again on Job Stability and Career Pathway

In short, on June 19:
Having taken three weeks to examine our emergency-formulated, extraordinary circumstance-motivated, burden-shouldering proposal for Job Stability and Career Pathway, UC negotiators were prepared to say … that they’ll have answers for us next time.

Then, on June 24:
UC’s negotiators responded to our job security proposal with the following: A supposal for a sideletter to the contract that would describe a “pilot program” to grant pre-continuing lecturers “the right” to inform their departments about courses we believe we are qualified to teach.

UC-AFT Faculty Bargaining Session #19

May 15, 2020

Zoom

Full Contract Bargaining Continues with Focus on Career Pathways for All Lecturers

During the session, our UC-AFT team pressed the UC’s administrators on their proposal for a new career path to Senior Continuing Lecturer. While we’re happy that management agrees with us that such a promotional opportunity is important for lecturers’ continued growth and career development, their most recent proposal would not permit many continuing lecturers to actually move up.

UC-AFT Faculty Bargaining Session #18

This statement was written and read in bargaining on March 21 by UCB Legal Studies Lecturer, Ben Brown.