SUMMARY: UC-AFT reached a groundbreaking settlement with UC administration in the middle of the night. The planned two-day ULP strike has been called off.  There will be noon rallies to celebrate today at all nine campuses. 

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After two marathon days of negotiations with UC management, the UC-AFT negotiating team was very happy to announce a tentative agreement was reached on a new contract — the strongest in UC-AFT history and, UC-AFT believes, among the best in the nation for contingent faculty. The historic agreement includes major victories in job security, workload, and compensation. UC-AFT is extraordinarily proud of this accomplishment.

As part of this agreement the union reached an acceptable resolution to the two unfair labor practice charges that prompted the strike authorization. UC management has bargained in good faith, and as a result the UC-AFT Executive Board canceled the strike previously called for November 17 and 18. 

Summary highlights of the tentative agreement include:

  • Groundbreaking job security protections that create opportunities for professional advancement for lecturers at every stage of their careers.
  • Greater consistency, transparency, and enforceability of workload issues.
  • Raised salary floor and improved compensation for all lecturers, as well as annual cost-of-living adjustments for each year of the contract:
  • Four weeks of fully paid leave to bond with a new child or care for ailing family members.

Join a celebration rally at 12 noon

There will be noon rallies to celebrate this significant win today at all nine campuses.

UC-AFT credited this tremendous victory to the show of support they received. Thousands of people wrote letters to administrators; joined open bargaining sessions on Zoom; submitted public comments to the UC Regents; tweeted at President Drake; and joined car caravans, virtual rallies, and in-person actions before the pandemic began.

“We are so grateful to have you on #TeamUCAFT,” said union representatives. “What kept us strong was knowing that supporters like you have our backs and you’d be with us all the way.” 

DEEP DIVE — what UC-AFT won in the tentative agreement

Job Stability

The new agreement transforms what it means to be a lecturer at the UC. UC-AFT has created opportunities for professional advancement at every stage of a lecturer’s careers.

  • Multi-year appointments in the first six years of teaching, starting with a 1-year appointment, followed by a 2-year, then 3-year.
  • Reviews and merit pay increases of at least 3% with every reappointment.
  • Rehiring rights: the right to be reappointed if deemed “effective” before external candidates are considered.
  • A clear pathway for promotion to Senior Continuing Lecturer, which comes with a minimum 9% merit raise.

The new provisions will take effect beginning July 1, 2022 and all pre-continuing faculty teaching in academic year 2021 will have preferential rehire for academic year 2022-23 courses that will be offered and the instructor is qualified to teach.

Workload

UC-AFT achieved its goals of greater consistency, transparency, and enforceability of workload issues:

  • Improved dispute resolution with the ability to submit a workload dispute to a panel of academic evaluators.
  • Increased transparency with workload policies to be posted in all departments.
  • Expanded the number of activities eligible for workload equivalencies
  • Higher-than-normal workload valuations for classes with more than 200 students or significant feedback on student writing.

Compensation

UC-AFT raised the salary floor and won improved compensation for all lecturers, as well as annual cost-of-living adjustments for each year of the contract:

  • Average of 30% increases across the life of the contract.
  • $1,500 bonus for every member upon ratification.
  • 9% raises for our lowest paid members 60 days after ratification.

Cost-of-living wage increases on the following schedule:

  • no later than February 1, 2022: 7%
  • July 1, 2022: 3%
  • July 1, 2023: 3%
  • July 1, 2024: 3%
  • July 1, 2025: 4%

Paid Family Leave

All lecturers regardless of appointment percentage or appointment length will now be eligible for 4 weeks of fully paid leave to bond with a new child or care for ailing family members. This is in addition to the 6 weeks of fully paid pregnancy disability leave that UC-AFT previously won.

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