AAUP Unit 2 approves new 1-year contract

The members of AAUP Unit 2 voted on Sep. 1, 2017, to approve a new one-year contract that will begin Dec. 23, 2017, and end Dec. 22, 2018.

The College Board of Trustees members are expected to vote on the new contract at their September 26 meeting.

AAUP Unit 2 includes nine full-time faculty members whose positions are funded, in whole or in part, by external grants. Most of the members of Unit 2 are Academic Advisors located in the division offices on Clifton Campus.

Members of Unit 2 do not have a “semester off” as do all members of Unit 1. Instead, Unit 2 members are on duty about 220 days of each academic year.

Like the current one-year contract for AAUP Unit 1, the Unit 2 contract includes a 2% increase to members’ base salaries, effective the first day of the new contract year.

The new Unit 2 contract, like the Unit 1 contract, will keep the same health insurance plan as in the past three-year contract, with no change in the employee cost of health insurance.

Most other provisions of the new Unit 2 contract will remain the same as in the current Unit 2 contract.

However, the new AAUP Unit 2 contract will not include a tenure article.

According to the provisions of the Unit 2 contract, members may apply for tenure after five years of full-time service. This is different from the Unit 1 contract, which specifies that faculty members who complete five years of full-time service must apply for tenure.

During the past three years, a total of four members of Unit 2 have applied for tenure. All four withdrew their tenure applications when it became evident that the College administration would not support granting tenure to members of Unit 2.

The new AAUP 2 contract states that members of the unit who complete five years of full time service will receive a 3% increase to base salary, and will be able to use the title “Senior Academic Advisor” (or a comparable “Senior” title for other positions within Unit 2).

The four members of the unit who withdrew their tenure applications will receive the 3% salary increase and the right to the “Senior” title at the beginning of the new contract year, in December.

In addition, each of the unit members who withdrew their tenure application will receive a one-time, lump-sum stipend covering the time between the withdrawal of their tenure application and the start of the new contract.

Cincinnati State AAUP Chapter President Pam Ecker said, “The new contract puts an end to the frustrating history of the tenure language in the Unit 2 contract, and provides appropriate recognition for members of the unit who demonstrate meaningful long-term service to Cincinnati State.”

“We appreciate that the administration was willing to extend other elements of the one-year Unit 1 contract to our Unit 2 members as well,” Pam added. “We also appreciate the administration’s efforts to complete negotiations well before the contract expires in December, so all faculty can put our efforts into enhancing student success throughout this new academic year.”

The Unit 2 contract negotiations took place at four bargaining sessions held in June, July, and August 2017.

The AAUP bargaining team for the Unit 2 contract included Pam Ecker, Darlene Gray, Julie McLaughlin, Greg Klein, and Mark Tiemeier. Geoff Woolf served on the bargaining team for some sessions, prior to becoming an administrator.

The administration bargaining team for the Unit 2 contract included Provost Robbin Hoopes, Human Resources Director Lawra Baumann, Business Division Dean Linda Schaffeld, and Interim Vice President of Enrollment & Student Development Soni Hill.