AAUP Steering Committee Minutes
May 2, 2012
1. Meeting
called to order by UD-AAUP President Calvin Keeler. Agenda sequence
modified to
accommodate schedule of presenters.
2. Letters
of Understanding committees. There were four Letters of Understanding
in the
2010–2013 CBA requiring mutual action of UD-AAUP and the
administration. David
Smith presented the status of three of them.
a) Workshops
for Chairs and Deans (CBA p.38). Workshops to educate Chairs and other
unit
directors regarding the CBA were mandated, with required participation
of both
AAUP and Administration. One planning meeting was held early in the
contract,
and nothing further has happened. A deadline of April 5, 2011, has long
passed
with no apparent ongoing action.
b) Categories
of Instruction (CBA p.40). The goal of clarifying, shortening, and
generally
improving footnote 4 of section 11.8 (p.22) was addressed by a
committee of
faculty (David Smith, Fred Hofstetter, Alan Fox) and administrators
(Deputy
Provost Nancy Brickhouse, A&S Dean George Watson, Music Chair Paul
Head). A
letter containing recommendations has been distributed for discussion
by chairs
and AAUP. The letter contains suggestions by how units with special
workload
needs may modify their workload policies, but actual action is
generally left
up to the units. The status of this letter is only to serve as a
suggestion to
the next CBA negotiations, so no further action is required.
c) CBA/Faculty
Handbook inconsistencies (CBA p.41). The "3-3-3" committee was
established to resolve incompatibilities between the Faculty Handbook
and the
CBA, primarily by suggesting revisions of the Faculty Handbook to the
Faculty
Senate. Membership has varied, but currently consists of three UD-AAUP
representatives (Grievance Officer David Smith, Vice President
DaniloYanich, Secretary
Brian Hanson), three administration representatives (Deputy Provost
Nancy
Brickhouse, CEOE Dean Nancy Targett, AVP of Employee Relations Tom
LaPenta),
and three Faculty Senate representatives (Past President John Madsen,
President-Elect Sheldon Pollack, Beth Morling).
Early
work by this committee primarily dealt with the influence of section
11.5
(p.22) on Promotion and Tenure decisions. Suggestions of the committee
and
others have been incorporated into widely discussed Faculty Senate
resolutions.
Faculty Senate President Jeff Jordan (present at the meeting) indicated
that no
further action by the Senate is expected this academic year.
Continuing
work by the committee has focused on minor inconsistencies and removal
of
redundant and obsolete matters from the Faculty Handbook. The committee
continues to meet.
3. A
mission statement draft circulated in the agenda was discussed. Further
input
from the steering committee included suggestion redrafts and revisions,
with
the general trend of making the statement broader and more assertive.
All
suggestions will be gathered by the Executive Committee and another
draft (or
multiple alternatives)presented to the membership.
4. Salary
Comparison Study (Contract Maintenance Officer Gerry Turkel)
distributed the
rank-wise salary comparison tables of our regional comparator
institutions. We
are slightly above median at all ranks and very near to our usual
closely
compared institutions (Rutgers, Maryland).
5. Salary
Disparity Study (Turkel). Study has been completed and is being
discussed by
administration, but has not yet been shared with us.
6. Benefits
Changes (Turkel). Email from UD-AAUP to all faculty has already been
circulated
calling attention to significant benefits changes. All changes are
positive for
faculty and the university, with expected $2.5 million on reduced costs
for the
university over five years. Delaware HB81 will require future co-pays
to be
based on percentage of premiums rather than set dollar amount, which
has no
implications at this time but will be monitored.
7. Opened
for discussion of New Business. Questions arose about actions of
UD-AAUP
regarding a proposed Emergency Involuntary Leave currently under
discussion in
the Faculty Senate. Gerry Turkel indicated that he had been consulted
during
the drafting of the proposal in his role as Contract Maintenance
Officer and he
had determined that the proposal did not contain language in conflict
with the
CBA or objectionable to the national AAUP. The UD-AAUP Executive
Council has
taken no official position on whether the proposal should or should not
be
passed.
Respectfully
submitted,
Brian Hanson
Secretary
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