Highlights of CFT Accomplishments
We have a union! Over years of tough negotiations, the Collective Bargaining Agreement expresses our rights & responsibilities in language that is actionable and protected under law. This is a binding agreement between the College and the bargaining unit (the faculty): it is not a ‘gift’ from the College nor imposed on the College by the CFT.
The CFT is the only legally empowered representative to negotiate, advocate, defend and protect faculty rights at Cornish under State and Federal labor law.
The introduction of the retirement benefit (1%; increasing to 8% in 2000) until 2012 when College refused to continue
The introduction of rank and stepped-pay schedule. Context: Before (year) all faculty shared instructor status, there was no map for stepped advancement and there was no retirement benefit. The changes made the salary grid transparent and (more) equitable.
Reaching salary parity in 2010 after being ranked worst salaried college faculty in the nation by the Chronicle of Higher Education in 1998.
Restoring the full cost of health care as a benefit to eligible faculty in 2008 (for years staff received 100% of this benefit, but faculty paid 27% of their premiums). Also re-established ‘cash-in-lieu-of-benefits provision (if a faculty member has other coverage, s/he can receive the equivalent in additional money in her/his paycheck)
Institution of seniority & merit based sabbaticals (2008)
Established joint faculty/administration taskforces to review/revise/write articles. Task-forces included Dept. Chairs for the first time, an example of CFT-led commitment to shared governance
Shared Governance Article clarify faculty should participate in governance
Revised Discipline & Dismissal to Corrective Actions and Disciplinary Actions; included Weingarten rights in document
Revised improved Grievance procedures for faculty.
New Workload Article –there never has been an Article defining workload in the Cornish CBA or Handbook, unlike other institutions.
Renewed & Reviewed Evaluation criteria and implementation.
Defined Visiting and Interim faculty categories—Interim has all rights and responsibilities as Core but shorter contracts
Added a Personal Leave Day for 2012-2013
Negotiated a defined share in revenue above budget-projections when they occur—after enrollment 8th day— to be devoted to salary increases; example: agreed Salary increase for 2012/13 was 2%; increased to 2.51% based on greater than projected enrollment.
Greater participation in administrative & faculty hiring & and inclusion of faculty on Board and College committees (advisory or voting): faculty advisory representation on Board Committees of Finance, Academic Affairs, Budget; faculty membership on College Curriculum and Finance Committees and representation on the President’s Council
Increased faculty representation on search committees for President, Provost, Associate Provost from a single individual to 25% of committee membership
Clarified membership for Department Chair search committees: majority must be from departmental Core faculty
Negotiated fair and dignified severance passages for senior Art faculty. That would NOT have happened without CFT & lawyers
Provides representation and protection for faculty at disciplinary hearings.
CFT also caught a major administrative error in 2007, discovered that HR had failed to provide retirement benefits to faculty who didn’t sign a form. The outcome of that grievance meant that some faculty received back payments close to $10,000. That error would not have been caught without Union oversight- it was caught during a CFT review of the budget.
Interim faculty: as part of the transformation of the art/design programs, new positions were created and faculty--many of whom had been Adjuncts--were appointed. CFT negotiators insured that new appointments would be Interim status (not Adjunct), meaning a significant increase in pay. Without CFT negotiation, they would be Adjunct status and wages.
Standardized stipends for adjuncts-- defined their use institution-wide—equity and parity—no special deals between Chair and single faculty member
Established Affiliated status to increase Adjunct job security(2yr contracts)
Reduced Adjunct waiting time for Health Benefits from four to two years
Improved Ranked Adjunct contracts: guaranteed minimum 50% FT contracts; increased hourly wage to 75% of Core at same step