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UC-AFT Faculty Bargaining Update #5 UC Los Angeles July 31

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UC-AFT Faculty Bargaining Updates

UC-AFT Faculty Bargaining Session #5

July 31th, 2019

UC Los Angeles
 

Powerful Member Testimonials: “The Workload is Too Damn High”
 

The UCLA bargaining session began, once again, with deeply personal and powerful member testimonials on negative impacts to our members, our families and to our careers from excessive workload, disrespectful hiring and reappointment practices, underemployment, and systematic, forced turnover. One member stated unequivocally that, “the workload is too damn high,” and another chastised UC’s bargaining team for their role in the deprofessionalization of teaching faculty at UC. Throughout the day, 110 members and supporters joined our negotiating team in the bargaining room and at an inspiring and energizing lunch time rally!
 

Pressed for answers, management called us jerks and walked out of bargaining
 

After the testimonials, our team asked several pointed questions to address UC’s denial of nearly everything we proposed in Article 8 Instructructional Support. We asked why they don’t think it’s important for the contract to guarantee that we don’t have to pay for basic classroom supplies, textbooks and required technology. We asked them why they don’t think it’s important for our members to have office space that satisfies FERPA requirements, that is lockable, and therefore safe, and that is conducive to performing the basic work of instruction outside of class time, including holding office hours. Management’s response was, “you are hired to teach, not to hold office hours.” Around this point, management started to show signs of frustration with our questions and their inability to provide answers. Our team calmly pointed out that UC’s team seemed unprepared and we questioned if they had given our proposals a serious read. Shortly after this, UC’s Chief Negotiator snapped, “Mia, don’t be a jerk. We’re just done. You guys just want to be jerks.” UC’s team walked out of the room.
 

Bargaining resumes with initial proposals on Workload from both sides
 

In the early afternoon, the chief negotiators from both sides agreed to come back to the table and resume bargaining. UC-AFT passed (across the table) our initial proposal on Article 23 Summer Sessions, which aims to make compensation in summer equitable with compensation during the academic year, and to clarify how appointments are made for summer teaching. UC passed us their initial proposal on Article 3 Academic Responsibility, which proposes to incorporate current language from APM 015 into our contract. Finally, both sides passed to the other side initial proposals on Article 24 Workload. The University proposed a workload increase for world language faculty at Berkeley, and to strike grievability from this article. UC-AFT’s workload proposal aims to include all forms of faculty work, including a wide range of non-instructional work, within all faculty appointments, to better define and specify instructional workload, and to reduce workload caps across the system. We believe that #FacultyEquity #StudentSuccess will in part be defined in this contract fight by significant improvements in Article 24 Workload.