Union “gains” have been insignificant or non-existent

AFMSU claims their “gains” to be: (1) annual salary raises, as well as merit- and market-pay improvements, (2) the implementation of a transparent and binding sabbatical procedure and improvements in sabbatical pay, and (3) the development of a workload appeal process with peer input. 

As documented above, AFMSU obtained neither annual raises nor merit raises for faculty, both of which were planned by Administration. AFMSU delayed these raises before claiming credit for having “secured” them. The procedure for giving sabbatical awards has always been quite clear; sabbatical proposals are evaluated against established criteria by the Faculty Affairs Committee, ranked, and the evaluations returned to applicants. The Provost greatly increased the number of annual sabbatical awards before the CBA. The CBA only stipulates sabbatical pay must not exceed 75% of base.  Recent increases in the number of sabbaticals and funding at the 75% level are due to the Provost’s actions, not the union.  Finally, the CBA section on “workload appeal” (7.03.01) is vague, poorly written, and lacks a stated purpose.