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WORK TO CONTRACT
On 3/4/2008, your Steering Committee voted that UF and District negotiations were to be considered at an impasse and that the next step - Fact Finding - should begin. This view was subsequently upheld and noted in a Letter of Certification from Mr. Donald Raczka (the mediator) to PERB. Also on 3/4/2008, and as a result of this impasse, your Steering Committee voted to begin a "Work to Contract" labor action. This was a decision and vote that was not taken lightly. Even after the successes of the previous Work to Contract (in support of the 2005-2006 Contract), all Committee members felt that this was a momentous decision. Given the intransigence of the present Board and District Management, it was felt and noted that this would probably be only the first of a progressive series of more serious labor actions. Because of this, and in order to fully inform you, your Steering Committee has prepared a letter describing how we got to this point. Please read the letter. Note that we as professional educators feel very strongly that faculty have not been met nor treated as professionals.
End of Mediation: Mediation was a process begin on 9/5/2007 with high hopes that reason would prevail and we could reach an agreement that would satisfy both sides. Rather than an agreement, we find ourselves in what appears to be an increasingly bitter labor dispute. Rather than engage in meaningful negotiations, the District has never budged from their original offer of 4%. (It would appear that the District has either already spent or otherwise committed a portion of the 5.92 percent COLA that was authorized and budgeted by the State.) Rather than acknowledge their management actions, they have attempted to balance their budget on the backs of the Faculty. In order to "appear" to negotiate, they have thrown all of our important contract articles (sabbatical, reassigned time, right to strike, SERP, etc.) on the table in what appears to be an attempt to gain traction with Mediators/Fact Finders and/or to raise the FUD Factor among Faculty. (FUD - Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt).
These articles are what contribute to making our profession what it is today. For many of us, they were important elements of our original decision to become professional educators. In some respects, they define us as educators and point up the fact that education is a process that must be nurtured by caring people. More than ever today, it's important to provide loving care to our profession that we so deeply care about.
We are truly at an Impasse. As merely the latest example of the Board's posturing, read the articles under the "Breaking News" link describing a recent plea of the Board President to bring our latest offer back to the table, the response of the Steering Committee to that request, and then the final insult of the Board. Acting in good faith, the Steering Committee complied with the Board President's request, only to have it met with utter rejection. Unacceptable!
Work to Contract (WTC): This term describes a specific Labor Action that is being undertaken by UF today. Many questions exist about what to do and what not to do. The answer is hopefully fairly simple. Each certificated person (Full Time, Part Time, Counselor, Librarian) has a Job Description that is a part of our Contract. In each description, certain duties are identified as those duties that must be performed (indicated by the '*' appearing beside the duty), and some duties are identified as voluntary or discretionary. See here for Full Time duties. Here for Part Time duties. Here for Counselor. Here for Librarian
By Contract we are all required to perform the duties noted by the asterisks. The others are subject to the WTC action. All faculty are asked to NOT participate in the voluntary duties. This includes Committee assignment, SLO Development, attendance at Graduation - any duty that is not one of the required duties or that we are getting paid for through reassigned time or other source. The Steering Committee knows this will be a hard decision for some of us. For example - attendance at Commencement. For years, many of us have attended, sat on the platform, and applauded our students who have graduated. It's been a great outpouring of support and of appreciation. But, we make this request because we care about our profession. We care about the profession our younger faculty or faculty not yet hired will enjoy as they educate the students of tomorrow.
Remember, when you say 'YES' to WTC, you're saying:
I Care
&
I'm United
(NOTE:, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT AS WE TALK, WE'RE STILL TALKING ABOUT THE 2006-07 CONTRACT YEAR. THE COLA DOLLARS FROM THE STATE FOR THAT YEAR WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE DISTRICT'S GENERAL FUND LONG AGO. NOTHING WE ARE DISCUSSING OR ASKING FOR CAN BE IMPACTED BY THE CURRENT BUDGET SITUATION.)
