UDMPU Contract: Executive Summary

by Larry Zeff

UDMPU Chief Negotiator

 

NEGOTIATIONS:  TENTATIVE AGREEMENT!

 

Your Professional Negotiating Committee has been able to create a tentative agreement with the University of Detroit Mercy administration on a new five-year contract.  Using the same six categories of contract issues we presented in previous communications, here is a summary of the basic issues. .  Committee members are listed in parentheses

 

     COMPENSATION

 

·         Each undergraduate directed reading will equal 10% of a course release.  When ten directed readings have been banked, the faculty member will be given a course release at the mutual agreement with that member's dean. 

·         Each graduate directed reading will equal 12.5% of a course release.  When eight such directed readings have been banked, a course release will be granted at the mutual agreement with that member's dean.

·         Remuneration for dissertation committee chairs is $75/credit hour and non-chair committee members receive a flat rate of $100, one half paid when the student's proposal is accepted and one half paid when the dissertation is successfully defended. 

·         Master's theses are considered the same as directed readings for purposes of remuneration.

·         Librarians who complete activities for which faculty receive course releases will be granted release time, the specific amount to be mutually agreed upon by the UDMPU and librarian, and the appropriate dean. 

·         Regularization of department and program chairs occurs through the use of a formula that accounts for number of full-time faculty, number of degree programs, number of course sections taught in the fall semester and a qualitative factor that deals with non-quantifiable issues (multi-disciplinary nature, interactions with other University units and market exigencies, among others). 

·         UDMPU members, including those on term appointments, are eligible for summer teaching and are covered by health insurance during the summer months. 

·         A statement to consider during this contract the possibility of merit pay.

·         An external equity study during the second year of the contract is the basis for equity distributions during the 3rd, 4th and 5th contract years.  An equity pool with a cap of $450,000 is to be spread equally over those three years.  A joint faculty/administration committee shall determine criteria for actual distribution of these funds. 

·         Across the board salary increases are 3% in year one (retroactive to 16 August 2008), 3% in year two, 3% in year three, 3.5% in year four and 4% for year five.  (Mike Canjar, Kris McLonis, Gail Presbey, Nancy Calley)

 

     BENEFITS

 

·         Retirement benefits are increased to include one year of dental benefits for post retirement.

·         HAP includes coverage for all domestic partners for those who choose that option.

·         several dental plans outside of UDM dental school are available at the UDMPU member's expense.

·         The same three health plans are provided, with slight modifications to reduce the increased cost of coverage.  UDMPU members with single coverage begin to contribute to the cost of health coverage starting year two of the contract by contributing 8.3% of the cost for Community Blue #3 and for HAP, while contributing 10% of the cost for Community Blue #1 (the most costly of the plans).  This contribution increases to 16.6% and 20%, respectively, in year three and up to 25% and 30%, respectively, in year four of this contract.  Beginning year two, members with two-person and family coverages will pay 25% for HAP and CB#3 and 30% for CB#1. 

·         The give back to UDMPU members who do not use any health care benefits at the University because they are covered by other health care plans increases from $800 to $1,300 per year. 

·         An already existing vision plan is to be more widely advertised. (Doug McDonald, Mary Higby, Kris McLonis)

 

WORKING CONDITIONS

 

·         The travel fund (voucher fund) is extended and expanded.  Beginning 16 August 2008, this fund is expanded to $150,000, remains $150,000 for the second year, increases to $175,000 for years three and four, and then increases to $200,000 for year five.  In addition, this voucher fund can be used for travel; registration at academic conferences, workshops, retreats and continuing education; membership in professional organizations; assistance in fees for appropriate trade or academic publishing in which financial subsidy is required; for relevant scholarly publications; and for fees to gain access to scholarly publications.

·         A new internal research grant fund is established.  It is seeded with $100,000 and this pot is maintained at this level throughout the contract.  UDMPU members apply for grants by 31 December for disbursement in any given academic year, with acceptance criteria to be established by the MFA.

·         A conflict of interest/ethics document accepts the collective bargaining agreement as the basis for determining outside work issues for UDMPU members.  (Mike Canjar, Shuvra Das, Gail Presbey)

 

     IP/ON-LINE TEACHING

 

·         A copyright policy reaffirms faculty ownership of course and academic related documents, research publications and creative outputs with the exception of third party paid or previously agreed upon work for hire outputs. All works placed on Blackboard, therefore, with the previous noted exceptions, are owned by faculty.  This policy is based on the joint task force document that was previously distributed to the UDMPU membership.

·         A patent policy reflects on-going practice.  This policy is likewise based primarily on the joint task force efforts.

·         An agreement in principle that when on-line programs are likely to be implemented, the UDMPU will meet with the administration on a timely basis to consider implications for the contract.  (Doug McDonald, Mike Canjar, Carla Groh, Barry Dauphin, Nancy Calley)

 

     TENURE/PROMOTION/FACULTY STATUS

 

·         A new academic rank of "lecturer" is established.  This is a full-time position and they are members of the UDMPU with committee responsibilities but no additional research requirements beyond that necessary to maintain currency in the academic discipline.  A maximum of 4 lecturer positions are initially created.  For purposes of UDMPU/adjunct ratios, only half of their courses taught count as UDMPU taught courses and half counts in the non-UDMPU taught courses.  If at least 65% of all courses are taught by UDMPU members, the maximum number is increased by two.  This increase can occur twice during this contract to get to a maximum of eight lecturers.

·         Contract language provides a formula by which the University must add to the budget a specified number of net new faculty lines should the percent of courses taught by UDMPU members fall below a certain level.  These new lines must be identified by November 1st, with searches beginning by February 1, to ensure that the line has a legitimate opportunity of actually being filled.

·         The present ratio of 65%/35% is maintained, with more specific language on definitions.

·         Phased increases in % of terminally degreed faculty hired into tenure track positions over the life of this contract to help the College of Health Professions meet present contract requirements. For non-terminally degreed members, CHP faculty will determine more appropriate work load assignments so they can work more rapidly on their terminal degrees.  (Mike Canjar, Doug McDonald, Prasad Venugopal, Shuvra Das, Carla Groh)

 

LANGUAGE

 

·         Cleaned up language throughout the contract.

·         Inserted language created by the agreements from each of the five other committees.

·         Mike Canjar has personally formatted, revised and edited the entire contract.  (Doug McDonald, Mike Canjar, Prasad Venugopal, Kate Walters)

 

 

These negotiations have taken ten months.  The time spent by PNC members in committees and in our own internal PNC meetings indicates the remarkable commitment they have made on your behalf.  I personally and publically want to thank each member for their contributions.  Mike Canjar deserves special mention, not only for the amount of time and effort (note how you see his name throughout these committees) and the editing job he fulfilled, but for his input into creating actual contract language, concern and contributions in our PNC meetings.

 

 

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Last Revision:  Monday 22 September 2008