In the short few weeks since University of Oregon faculty ratified their first collective bargaining agreement, University and United Academic representatives have spent a good deal of time working on an implementation plan with the goal of completing the process as quickly as possible. As a result of their good work, we are shooting for a first phase of the FY2013 and FY2014 salary increase to be implemented for the November 30, 2013 payroll and the second phase by the January 31, 2014 payroll.
As one might expect, bringing an agreement that covers more than 90 pages and includes 45 articles from the printed page into everyday practice is proving to be extremely complex. All aspects of the contract cannot be implemented at the same time, so establishing a list of priorities has been a primary focus of the first meetings. Among the topics discussed to date are union dues deductions, internal governance processes, Non-tenure-track-faculty (NTTF) reclassification, formation of a Joint Committee on Intellectual Property, formation of the Joint Committee on Equity and Floors that will address salary floors for NTTF and create policies and procedures for distribution of equity increases, and implementation of the salary package.
Implementing the salary provisions of the contract is one of the highest priorities. There are four components to the FY2013 and FY2014 salary package for
eligible bargaining unit members:
- Across the board increases (retroactive to FY2013 and current for FY2014)
- Merit increases
- Increases upon promotion
- One-time $350 bonus
While it may seem like it would be easy to implement across-the-board and one-time bonuses, there are several steps that need to take place to ensure that this is done accurately. Initial spreadsheets must be created that individually identify every employee, their start date and FTE, whether they are eligible for the increase, and the impact of the
increase on their total base pay. These spreadsheets are created centrally, then sent to
schools, colleges and other participating units for review. Following that review Unclassified Personnel Services, in collaboration with Academic Affairs, conducts a final review for accuracy before the information is sent to payroll. Payroll must then enter the information into the payroll system, calculate retroactive back-pay, and process end-of-month paychecks. At this time we believe we can get the FY2013 1.5 percent across-the-board increase (retroactive to Jan 1, 2013) and the one-time bonus in paychecks at the end of November.
Implementing the FY2014 merit increases presents an even more challenging timeline
if we are going to meet our current goal of completing the process in time for the January 31, 2014 payroll. The University and the Union have agreed to an abbreviated merit criteria review process, pursuant to which each department and unit must provide an opportunity for faculty to review the criteria they will utilize for the FY2014 merit increase and to provide feedback, which may be solicited at a faculty meeting to which all faculty are invited. The department and other unit heads, deans, and the provost must give serious consideration to that feedback in determining the merit review process and increases.
Notes about the salary increases:
(1) The contract includes another 3.5 percent merit pool for FY15. Prior to implementing that increase, all schools, colleges and other participating units will be required to review their merit salary increase policies.
(2) The pools for FY2014 and FY2015 merit raises for tenured and tenure-track faculty will be separate from the pools for non-tenure-track faculty.
(3) The merit salary review process in each year will include all of the years since the last merit review prior to the ratification of the CBA.
(4) Salary increases for funding-contingent positions, which are primarily grant-funded positions, present special challenges when the grants did not anticipate increased compensation expenses. The University and the Union will be exploring best strategies to address these circumstances.
The “new normal” is anything but simple or quick, but the University and the Union are working to implement the contract as quickly as possible and at the same time to establish policies and practices that will best serve the UO community.
Watch this site for more details as they come. Questions or comments? Please email CBAWeb@uoregon.edu.
The UO CBA Implementation Team
