Nearly 30 members of the union’s Negotiations Committee took their seats Jan. 10 in NYSUT’s Albert Shanker Conference Center to hear and discuss details of the tentative contract agreement reached after eight months of intensive bargaining between the UUP Negotiations Team and New York state representatives.

And after the daylong briefing by UUP Acting President and Chief Negotiator Frederick Floss, the decision to move forward was clear: The committee voted unanimously to recommend ratification of the 2007-2011 tentative agreement.

The Negotiations Committee is made up of one member from each UUP chapter, as well as one academic and one professional part-timer.

Floss said the tentative agreement is “fair and equitable for all our members — academic and professional, full time and part time — and provides salaries and benefits that will attract and retain top-quality faculty.”

Highlights of the tentative pact include across-the-board, on-base salary increases of 3 percent in the first three years of the contract and 4 percent in the final year. The first 3 percent increase is retroactive to July 2, 2007, or Sept. 1, 2007, depending on the member’s appointment.

Floss stressed that members will be getting more money in their paychecks without giving any back in lost health benefits. He said the 2007-2011 tentative pact calls for no percentage increases in the employees’ share of the cost of health insurance premiums, and only small increases in co-pays.

“Given the difficult circumstances under which the union negotiated, this tentative agreement is better than expected,” said Committee member Idalia Torres of Fredonia. “UUP dodged a bullet and was able to hold the line on health benefits, despite the state’s demands for members to pick up a larger share of their premiums.”

The agreement features other benefits, including:

• A one-time $500 service award to employees who will receive permanent or continuing appointments, or a second, five-year term appointment, at their current campuses during each year of the contract;

• A $500 service award lump-sum payment to part-time employees who have completed at least eight consecutive years at their current campus;

• Location stipends, which increase to $3,026 for employees in the downstate area and up to $1,513 for employees in the Mid-Hudson region;

• 1 percent of the total salary pool is available for discretionary increases in each year of the agreement;  

• The UUP Benefit Trust Fund will be well funded. Over the life of the agreement, state contributions will increase from $850 to $1,050 per eligible member per year; and,

• A new labor/management program providing tuition assistance to eligible UUP dependents.

The agreement also features a Pre-Tax Transportation Program that would reduce employee mass transit costs, and a continuation of support for the UUP/NYS Joint Labor/Management Committees.

 “This agreement provides increases in salaries, retains current benefits, prevents the loss of others, and adds a long-sought enhancement: a tuition program for dependents who attend a SUNY state-operated campus,” Floss said. “All of the gains achieved in the agreement — and the losses prevented — will continue to help SUNY attract and retain an academic and professional faculty of distinction.”

“Your Team succeeded despite the economic and political forces at work and signals of deteriorating fiscal conditions on the horizon,” he added. “The Team was obligated to constantly consider these conflicting forces throughout the process.”

Following the committee’s approval, the union prepared a newsletter detailing answers to frequently asked questions about the tentative agreement. The eight-page “FAQ” was mailed first class in mid-January to every member of the bargaining unit, and additional copies will be handed out during chapter visits, Floss said. The FAQ is also posted on the UUP Web site at www.uupinfo.org.

“Members of the Negotiations Team and I will also be visiting every UUP chapter to explain the agreement and answer questions from members,” Floss said. “The steps we will follow will give every UUP member the opportunity to learn all the details before casting a ballot on the 2007-2011 agreement.”

In addition, the union will publish the full text of the tentative agreement, with comments clearly explaining the changes. The information will be mailed to members and posted on the UUP Web site.

The American Arbitration Association (AAA), a neutral and independent organization, will conduct the election. AAA is expected to mail ratification ballots and voting instructions by mid-February. Eligible members will have at least 21 days to return their ballots by mail to AAA, which will then count the ballots at their offices.

— Karen L. Mattison