Online voting:

Click on the following link to vote:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Contract_ratification_vote_May_18_version

Do not enter the site if you do not intend to vote and only want to examine the ballot. The online ballot is identical to the paper ballot posted earlier. Once you enter the on line voting site, you are entered in the system as a vote and any latter activity online or casting a paper ballot will cause all of your “attempts” to be excluded.

Wednesday, May 25 at 2- 4 pm in LWH 1001
Thursday, May 26 at 3:15 – 5:15 in SU 214

Please review the materials posted on line or sent to you by email. Bring or send your questions to the meetings.

Voting begins this evening (May 23) and will end on June 1 at noon. You can vote by paper ballot or on line.

Paper Ballot:
You may cast your paper ballot by putting it in the drop box at the Library Reference desk or I will be in Village Square on Wednesday, June 1 from 9:00 am until noon with a ballot box. Download and print the ballot form now.

Double Envelope Voting – Ratification of Administration’s May 18 Proposal

1. Only UPI members are eligible to vote. If you are a fair share member, you may sign a membership card to change your status and thereby become eligible to vote.

2. Ballots will be available at the membership meetings and in an attached email file sent to UPI members.

3. To vote, you will need a hard copy of the official ballot and two unmarked envelopes. Envelopes will be available at the membership meetings.

4. Mark your choice and place the ballot in an unmarked envelope. Do not write on this envelope(inner)

5. Seal the unmarked envelope inside the second envelope. Seal the second (or outside) envelope. Print your name on the front and place your signature across the seal. Make sure the printed name is legible so that your eligibility may be confirmed against the UPI membership list.

6. Ballots will be discarded if you are not a UPI member or your name cannot be read to confirm your eligibility.

Online Voting:

Click on the following link to vote:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Contract_ratification_vote_May_18_version

Do not enter the site if you do not intend to vote and only want to examine the ballot. The online ballot is identical to the paper ballot attached to this email. Once you enter the online voting site, you are entered in the system as a vote and any latter activity on line or casting a paper ballot will cause all of your “attempts” to be excluded.

The NEIU/UPI Chapter Executive Board recommends the ratification of the collective bargaining agreement to the NEIU/UPI membership.

I am attaching summaries of the following to help you review the tentative agreement: compensation FY11 through FY14; May 18 tentative agreements; and contract achievements gained through negotiations.

The tentative agreement is posted at
http://www.neiu.edu/~tagree/

If you wish to compare the tentative agreement with the 2004-2008 agreement, you will find the latter at:

2004-08 CBA

http://www.neiu.edu/~tagree/

Membership meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, May 25 at 2-4 in LWH 1001 and on May 26 at 3:15 – 5:15 location to be announced. Study the agreement and bring your questions. I will post some summary documents later on today.

Ballots and voting instructions to follow.

The final version of the entire agreement will be posted late next Monday so you won’t have to go back and forth between documents. I sent the May 18 summary so members had some idea of what happened to the remaining issues. A membership meeting will be scheduled next week, so keep generating questions…

Academic Support Professionals. Accept status quo language for ASP 37.5 hour flexible work week (Article 36). Continue current practice for breaks.

Instructors. Art Studio Instruction. Two studios taught in one academic term or four studios across two academic terms (9 mo contract) is a 75% appointment (was 50%). Three studios taught in one academic term is a 93.75% appointment (was 75%). Five studios taught on a 9 month contract is a 93.75% appointment. Six studios assigned on a 9 month contract is a 100% appointment plus 3 credit hours of overload. (Articles 36 and 37)

Instructors. Full-time workload for 9 month contract: 21-24 credit hours with the understanding that if a course is cancelled and workload total decreased to 18credit hours then the instructor will be designated full-time only for the purpose of benefits with compensation paid as pro rata based on 24 credit hours. (Article 36)

Instructors. Individuals hired by semester shall have their workload calculated as follows: 11 – 12 credit hours = full time with assignments less than 11 credit hours prorated based on 12 credit hours. (Article 36)

Instructors. Benefits for instructors hired on semester contracts (4.5 months). When an instructor is hired in fall on a semester-by-semester basis, the University will predict a spring appointment contingent on program need and student demand for the purpose of Central Management Services determining eligibility for benefits. Note: Currently, employee must be projected for 9 month employment with at least a 50% appointment to be eligible for health benefits. (Article 31)

Teaching Professionals/Instructors. Key #7: Clinical experience,internship, field experience and practicum (Articles 24 and 37). A chart will be included in the contract that identifies the credit unit/hour values for these instructional activities in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business and Management, and Education. With the exception of HRD 329, HRD 416, HRD417, LEAD 434, LEAD 435, and LEAD 495, the credit unit/hour values remain the same as assigned under the 2004-2008 contract. The aforementioned courses will use .45 cu/ch per student enrolled (had been reduced from .5 to .4 in summer 2008). The University and UPI will negotiate any changes to the values in the chart over the duration of the agreement (2010 –2014).

Teaching Professionals. Instruction/Primary duty expectation is 18-20 cu and the first 18 cu may include up to 1 cu for team teaching (key #10). (Articles 23 and 24)

All Bargaining Unit Members. Compensation. Across the board salary increases for FY13 = 2.5% and FY14 = 2.75% with the provision of a salary reopener.

For FY13 andFY14, a salary reopener shall be triggered if the state increases the University’s general appropriation above the level of FY11 ($40,695,200) unless the increase in appropriation is specifically targeted by the state (e.g., deferred maintenance). For FY 13 and 14the salary increases shall be 2.5% and 2.75% respectively or the percentages from the state for faculty salaries, whichever is greater. (Article 21)

All Bargaining Unit Members. Compression Adjustments. For FY13 $50,000 will be allocated for compression adjustments to the base to be determined by the UPI. For FY 14 $50,000 will be allocated for compression adjustments to the base to be determined by the UPI. (Article 21) For FY 13 $50,000 will be allocated for compression adjustments to the base to be determined by the UPI.

Tomorrow, I will send a summary of the tentative agreements reached today as well as the procedure to be followed for the ratification vote.

Thank you for your patience and support of our negotiating team.

Although we believe that a negotiated settlement is in the best interests of the university, the administration’s refusal to collaborate to this end may require us to consider more direct action. Please check your email, both NEIU and private accounts, regularly for updates on the status of negotiations and on the next steps we may have to take.

Please find attached a set of tables that reflect the effect of the negotiated raises at other universities represented by the UPI and the effect of the proposed administration salary increases on our salaries through FY14. Let’s be absolutely clear that the much touted “fair and equitable proposal” does little or nothing to change where our salaries fall in comparison to other Illinois public universities and includes changes to our workloads.