Tentative Agreement Reached with
State for Adjunct Faculty
Bargaining Bargaining UnitAfter over a year of difficult negotiations with the State and the State College/University presidents, the Council of New Jersey State College Locals reached a tentative agreement late Friday, January 25. This agreement provides for a per credit hour base salary increase of 8.33% for more than four thousand adjunct faculty over the life of the Agreement. The State’s initial proposal was a 0% increase for the duration of the agreement as well as other onerous demands in their proposals. The State also firmly rejected most of the proposed contract improvements the Council proposed but the Council’s negotiating team tenaciously worked hard for the agreement that was ultimately reached. This tentative agreement is subject to member ratification.
Among the more onerous proposals that we were successful in getting the State to withdraw:
Limit on the number of representatives that could serve on the Council's bargaining team in future negotiations.
Remove the requirement of advance notification to the local union of advertised vacancies/opportunities for full-time and part-time faculty positions.
Remove the requirement that the College/Universities provide written confirmation to adjunct faculty that useable spaces and/or common areas where adjunct faculty may meet with students or work on instructional activities and university matters was not available. This notice provides you with the information you need to take to your local union for assistance.
Remove the State’s obligation to seek legislation from the legislature to appropriate funds before any provision of the agreement that requires funding be implemented. This could have made the increases in the teaching credit hour subject to the legislature's whims without the State urging the passage of said funding, if or when needed.
Payment of the negotiated teaching credit hours (TCH) rate only for the duration of the Agreement. This would have allowed the State to ignore the TCH rate at the expiration of the agreement if we were still negotiating a subsequent agreement.
Primary Items agreed to:
Clarified that adjunct faculty are in the bargaining unit when teaching summer session, pre-session or inter-session if they have been included in the unit in the preceding fall or spring semester. This provides continuing application of the agreement during those sessions for adjunct faculty who meet this requirement.
The Union will now receive a preliminary list of unit members no later than the 1st pay period. This will allow your locals to better monitor the application of our Agreement rather than waiting until the 5th week when the institutions send the final list of unit members.
The Universities/Colleges are now required to negotiate any changes to existing evaluation procedures and to negotiate evaluation procedures where none exist.
The Universities/Colleges are now required to provide you with a teaching contract before you have to advise your college/university of any other employment, including employment as an adjunct faculty member in other departments of your college/university.
Where practicable, your individual letters of appointment shall be issued at least two weeks prior to the commencement of the relevant semester. (This is not subject to the grievance procedure.)
Your department is now required to give you initial consideration for appointment for a course you are currently teaching for the same course in the following semester. (This is not subject to the grievance procedure.)
The Per Credit Hour teaching rate will increase by $25 in each semester beginning in September 2013.
The Base Salary Teaching Credit Hours will have increased by 8.33% in the last two years of the Agreement.
Date
1-15 Semesters
% increase
16+ Semesters
% increase
September 2011
$1,200 per credit
0%
$1,250 per credit
0%
September 2012
$1,200 per credit
0%
$1,250 per credit
0%
September 2013
$1,225 per credit
2.08%
$1,275 per credit
2%
January 2014
$1,250 per credit
2.04%
$1,300 per credit
1.96%
September 2014
$1,275 per credit
2%
$1,325 per credit
1.92%
January 2015
$1,300 per credit
1.96%
$1,350 per credit
1.89%
A Contract Ratification vote will take place in March-April, 2013. Ballots will be mailed on March 28, 2013 to full dues paying members who have worked in the Fall 2012 semester and/or Spring 2013 semester. Ballots must be received in the Council office by 3 PM April 18, 2013 and will be counted on April 19, 2013. Any ballot not received by April 18, 2013 will not be counted.
For an entire listing of the items agreed to and the exact language, go here.
