UUP’s contract proposals are ready to be delivered to the state, and the Negotiations Team is preparing the actual presentations that will follow that proposal.
But Gov. Spitzer has not yet appointed a director for the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations, and UUP cannot exchange its proposals with the state until that appointment is made. The governor has not given any indication when he will fill that vacancy, but with two other major state unions also facing the expiration of their contracts, it is expected that this critical position will have the governor’s attention soon.
At Voice press time, the state advised UUP it would be willing to begin negotiations during the first week of April.
In the meantime, all contract provisions will continue past the July 1 expiration date, unless they have a specific “sunset” date.
The message the Team will be sending when it does get to the table: A stable, secure work environment for SUNY’s academic and professional faculty means a stronger, better university. And a stronger university means that SUNY can better compete in the national and even international market for dedicated professors, renowned researchers and a diverse student body.
“Our approach is that the state has everything to gain, and nothing to lose, by viewing this negotiations process as an important step in strengthening SUNY in this competitive higher education marketplace,” said UUP Vice President for Academics and Chief Negotiator Frederick Floss. “This is how we see it, and we’re confident that after our Team makes the presentations, that’s how the state representatives will see it, also. Our best chance of taking the university to the next level lies in our ability to attract the most talented people to SUNY, and then retain them.”
Contract strengthens SUNY
SUNY has seen some nationally recognized faculty accept employment offers elsewhere in recent years. A number of department chairs in the SUNY system have said it will be even more difficult in the future than it already is to recruit and retain top-ranked faculty without certain benefits negotiated by UUP.
“We all have the same goal: to make SUNY a competitive player highly ranked among major universities,” Floss said. “We believe the presentations we will make to the state will support our assertions that a strong contract is one very good way to do that, by attracting faculty and professionals who are recognized experts in their fields.”
The Team has met several times in recent weeks to prepare for negotiations. Team members are researching different aspects of the many proposals that will come up during the negotiations sessions. Team members have also examined how other colleges and universities have negotiated those proposals with their unions, so as to obtain comparisons with other university systems.
Members will be informed
Members can expect an update on the negotiations process at the Spring Delegate Assembly in Albany, April 20-21.
“Our members can be assured that we will keep them informed throughout the process,” Floss said. “This whole effort is to make sure that we achieve the best agreement possible — one that best represents the membership as a whole, one that secures the benefits to retain the current members, and one that provides the benefits to compete nationally and internationally to recruit new members for the 21st century. We know what our priorities are — and so does the state.”
— Darryl McGrath