NEIUPI

There is no bargaining session scheduled this week but we are having membership meetings and the tables in Village Square. John Murphy, former NEIU chapter president and former Local 4100 vice president, is recruiting retirees to help us with the tables this week. We are going to distribute info on the latest legislative actions as well as rallying our members. If you haven’t spent some time at the time please consider joining your colleagues for an hour or so this wednesday or thursday. Chat with the retirees and find out if life is better after you’ve done your time at NEIU. To sign up for table “sitting”, follow the directions below: The tables are set up on Wednesday and Thursday from 11:00 to 3:00 pm.

Instructions: go to http://upi-tabling.genbook.com

1) Click on the “UPI Table Volunteer” link
2) Click on the “No preference” link
3) Select the date you‘d like to volunteer
4) Click on the time you’d like to volunteer –(this will automatically register you for 1 hour)
5) Enter your details as prompted—(your phone number must include an area code)
6) Confirm the appointment

Membership meetings are scheduled next week. It is important that each department/program/unit has at least one representative at the meeting:

1. Wednesday, February 24, Student Union 003 – noon – 1 pm
2. Thursday, February 25, LWH (CLS) 1002 – 1:40 – 2:50 pm

Weekly update on negotiations

Your UPI negotiating team met with the administration team on Tuesday. Our team passed counter proposals for the Grievance article and the Leave without salary article. It looks like we are getting closer to agreement on Grievance. We continue to wait for the administrative response in the form of a counter proposal to Intellectual Property article that we passed to the administration in early January.

Last week we passed workload proposals for Teaching and Resource Professionals as well as Instructors and Academic Resource Professionals (formerly known as temporary Resource Professionals). We did not receive counter proposals from the administration for workload.

On Tuesday, your UPI negotiating team proposed the roll over of the current language in the following articles: 26 – Retention; 27 – Tenure and 28 – Promotion. The administration passed proposals (with changes to the current language) for the following articles: 17 – Information and Reporting; 22 – Employment Status Statement; 26 – Retention and 30 – Sanctions and Termination.

See you at the membership meetings next week…

We completed our fifth meeting with the administration today. During these meetings, we agreed to bargaining ground rules and offered to roll more articles in the current contract. In the first meeting in January, our team passed two proposals, one on grievance, and the other addressed intellectual property.

Today, the administration passed their written response to the grievance proposal but reported that they will require more time to prepare the administration’s response to our intellectual property proposal. The administration proposed the rollover of the following articles: Personnel Files, Dues Check Off, and Leave Without Salary. We will respond to their proposals at the bargaining session scheduled for next Tuesday.

Today, our negotiating team passed workload proposals that protect the working conditions of bargaining unit members and we anticipate the administration’s response to these proposals next week.

Don’t forget to stop by the UPI tables on Wednesday and Thursday this week…we’ll be in Village Square from 11 am to 3 pm.

Together, we have strength, commitment and community.

The contract requires that instructors must notify the chair of their wish to be re-employed in the next calendar year. Given the current economic climate and ongoing negotiations it is very important for you to follow the contract.

By February 15, 2010, you must notify your chair in writing that you wish to be considered for re-appointment. Please include in your notification your current per cent of appointment and your desired per cent of appointment for the next academic year. Please be aware that appointments that are less than 50% and/or 9 months will not include benefits. The reduction in per cent and length of appointment resulted in the loss of benefits for some instructors this academic year. The university must use the re-employment roster when developing the schedule for the 2010-2011 academic year. Your position on the roster is determined by years of service (seniority) and is not affected by your previous percent of employment. Make sure your chair knows that you wish to be re-employed and has generated the re-employment roster for your department or program.

I will include the contract language below for the re-employment roster and per cent appointment and length of appointment. Article 32.02 addresses the appointment of Instructors. Be sure to let all bargaining unit instructors know about the February 15 requirement to notify the chair. It must be in writing.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

CONTRACT LANGUAGE.

(b) Each academic year, the University will seek to provide 9 (nine) month appointments of at least two semesters to an Instructor who is employed at least 50% time or greater. A one semester appointment shall be equivalent to four and one-half months. Upon request, the Union shall be provided with written reasons for any appointment that is less than (nine) months of at least 50%.

(c) Re-employment Roster for Instructors
(1) By February 15 of each academic year, individuals holding Instructor appointments shall notify, in writing, the Chair of the Department in which they hold their appointment if they wish to be considered during the subsequent academic year for any available Instructor appointment for which they are qualified.

Come join us at the NEIU/UPI tables in Village Square this Wednesday and Thursday from 11 to 3 pm. Collect the latest materials and bargaining updates.

UPI members who volunteered to help with tabling, please check your alternate email addresses for the schedule.

Together, we have strength, commitment and community…