ATTACHMENT�� ITEM 107-104-R0500
TO:���������������� Board of
Regents
FROM:���������� Sue Hill,
Director
����������������������� Labor Relations and
Personnel������
SUBJECT:�� Approval
of Tentative Agreement with Vocational Technical Educators of Montana, MFT-AFT,
AFL-CIO
DATE:����������� May 18-19, 2000
Attached is a copy of
the tentative agreement with the Vocational Technical Educators of Montana
(VTEM).� Until recently, VTEM
represented faculty at all of the Colleges of Technology.� This system-wide bargaining unit became
outmoded with the restructuring of the university system.� Nevertheless there has been reluctance to
pursue a change in the collective bargaining structure unless affected
employees concurred with the proposed change.�
The last agreement included a provision that authorized faculty at each
College of Technology to opt to form their own independent bargaining unit or
to affiliate with another appropriate faculty bargaining unit upon a majority
vote.� Recently, the faculty at the
Missoula and Helena Colleges of Technology voted to form their own bargaining
unit.� Negotiations with those
bargaining units have just gotten started.�
The proposed tentative agreement covers faculty at the Colleges of
Technology in Butte, Billings and Great Falls.�
If the bargaining unit fails to ratify the tentative agreement prior to
the May Regent meeting, this item will be withdrawn.
The tentative
agreement increases average faculty salaries by $275 plus 2.1% effective
October 1, 1999; and by an additional $275 plus 2.3% effective November 1,
2000.� The minimum salary increase in FY
2000 is 2.4% and in FY 2001 is 2.3%.�
Merit awards are not built into base salaries and may or may not be
implemented at each campus at the discretion of the employer.� The employer contribution to group insurance
increased by $15.00 per month in FY 2000 and by $10.00 per month in FY 2001.
The employer
previously had the flexibility to pay newly hired faculty members a recruitment
adjustment of up to $4,000 over the matrix driven salary to assist in hiring
faculty in disciplines where external market conditions make recruitment
extraordinarily difficult.� However, the
recruitment adjustment was phased out when employees received a promotion.� Under the tentative agreement, recruitment
adjustments become a permanent addition to an employee's matrix-driven salary,
which will make the option of a recruitment adjustment much more attractive.
The criteria for
promotion was also modified under this tentative agreement.� Presently, faculty at the Colleges of
Technology do not have academic rank (i.e., assistant professor, associate
professor and professor) but are eligible for promotion to a higher pay level
(levels I through IV).� In the past,
faculty seeking promotion had to accumulate a specified number of graduate
education credits.� That requirement was
modified to allow faculty the option of meeting the threshold requirements for
promotion through completion of a specified number of hours (510, 570 or 720
depending on promotion level) of approved professional development activity. �The employer may still, however, require
faculty to obtain an appropriate graduate degree as a condition of tenure or
promotion as long as the faculty member is informed of that requirement at the
time of hire.� Promotions continue to
require more than just meeting the threshold requirements and are predicated on
a positive assessment of overall contributions.
The other major
language change dealt with instructional workload.� Faculty at the Colleges of Technology teach as many as 36 credits
per year.� They wanted very much to
limit the maximum teaching load to 30 credits per year.� This issue was one of the major reasons why
negotiations took approximately 18 months to complete.� Ultimately, we agreed on a range of 30 to 36
credits per year and contractually recognized that the instructional workload
may be less than 30 to 36 credits where there are additional non-instructional
assignments.� Faculty who teach at least
15 credits in a semester will receive a full-time salary.
A formal evaluation
of tenured faculty will occur at least every three years under the tentative
agreement unless job performance concerns warrant more frequent reviews.� The union was given the right to use
electronic mail to communicate with faculty and will also be given an opportunity
to make brief reports or announcements at faculty meetings.� The other language changes were not
substantive.
I recommend approval
of the tentative agreement with VTEM.
xc:������ Commissioner Crofts
����������� Willard Weaver
����������� Robert Carr
����������� Jane Baker
Summary of Tentative
Agreement
between
Montana Board of
Regents of Higher Education
and
Vocational-Technical
Educators of Montana
#9610, MFT-AFT,
AFL-CIO
Modify
1997-1999 agreement as follows.
Throughout
contract, change "employee" to "faculty member."
1.�������� 2.1.b.� Bargaining Unit (page 1)
Change
to read:� "The bargaining unit
covered by this agreement shall include all instructional faculty members with
a .5 FTE or greater annual appointment (nine (9) or more credits per semester)
and who are employed for both terms of the academic year.� Individuals appointed for a single semester
are excluded from the bargaining unit.�
Instructional related, non-teaching professional employees regularly
scheduled to work half-time or greater who were included in a school district
bargaining unit prior to July 1, 1989 shall be included in the bargaining unit
unless excluded by the Board of Personnel Appeals pursuant to 24.26.630
ARM.� New employees hired into
non-teaching positions shall be excluded from the bargaining unit.� The bargaining unit status of a current
teaching employee who transfers to an instructional related, non-teaching
professional position shall be determined at the time of the transfer.� The term "faculty member" as used
in this agreement means a member of the bargaining unit."
2.�������� 5.4� INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION (page 9)
Change
to read:� "The union shall have the
right to use the employer-owned distribution boxes, voice mail or electronic
mail for the purposes of communicating with faculty members regarding union
activities."
3.�������� 5.6� ANNOUNCEMENTS (page 9)
Change
to read:� "The union shall be
provided time at faculty member meetings to make brief reports and
announcements, provided the union has given a timely request to the Dean or
designee."
4.�������� 7.1.A.� Formal Evaluations� (page 15)
Change
to read:� "Formal evaluations
result in a written document which is placed in a faculty member's official
personnel file.� Formal evaluations may
include components such as self-evaluation, supervisory evaluation, and student
evaluations.� Faculty assessment will be
conducted on an annual basis for non-tenured faculty except during the final
year of employment and once every three (3) years for tenured faculty.� Faculty or administration may request an
additional evaluation for purposes of consideration for merit, tenure, and
promotion."
5.�������� ARTICLE
10� COMPENSATION (beginning
page 25)
������������ Change as
follows:
������������ 10.1��� SALARIES
������������ A.������� Salary Factors for 1999-00
������������ The
following factors and methodology will be used to determine faculty member
salaries for the period from July 1, 1999, until June 30, 2000.
������������
����������������������� 1.�������� Effective October 1, 1999, minimum salaries
for each level are as follows.
�����������������������
����������������������������������� Level
I:
26,450
����������������������������������� Level
II:������������ 29,680
����������������������������������� Level
III:����������� 33,990
����������������������������������� Level
IV:���������� 38,290
����������������������� 2.�������� Effective October 1, 1999, in addition
to the above specified minimum salary, faculty members will receive $275 for
each year of full-time teaching and related occupational experience through
July 1, 1999.� Up to a maximum of ten
(10) years of related full-time teaching or occupational experience may be
recognized for newly hired employees.
�����������������������
����������������������� 3.�������� Faculty members with an appropriate
doctoral degree shall receive a $1,500 salary stipend.� Faculty members receiving a stipend
for an appropriate doctorate shall not be given any additional stipend for
their master's degree.� Faculty members
with an appropriate master's degree who are below Level III shall receive a
$1,000 salary stipend.
�����������������������
����������������������� 4.�������� Notwithstanding any of the factors
outlined above, no faculty member shall receive less than a 2.4% increase in
base academic year salary for AY 1999-2000.�
Stipends for doctoral and master's degrees are not subject to the� 2.4% minimum increase.
�����������������������
������������ B.������� Salary Factors for 2000-01
������������ The
following factors and methodology will be used to determine faculty member
salaries for the period from July 1, 2000, until June 30, 2001.
����������������������� 1.�������� Effective November 1, 2000, minimum
salaries for each level are as follows.
�����������������������
����������������������������������� Level
I:������������ 27,060
����������������������������������� Level
II:
30,360
����������������������������������� Level
III:����������� 34,770
����������������������������������� Level
IV:���������� 39,170
����������������������� 2.�������� Effective November 1, 2000, in addition
to the above specified minimum salary, employees faculty members will receive
$275 for each year of full-time teaching and related occupational experience
through July 1, 2000.� Up to a maximum
of ten (10) years of� related full-time
teaching or occupational experience may be recognized for newly hired faculty
members.
����������������������� 3.�������� Faculty members with an appropriate
doctoral degree shall receive a $1,500 salary stipend.� Faculty members receiving a stipend for an
appropriate doctorate shall not be given any additional stipend for their
master's degree.� Faculty members with
an appropriate master's degree who are below Level III shall receive a $1,000
salary stipend.
�����������������������
����������������������� 4.�������� Notwithstanding any of the factors
outlined above, no faculty member shall receive less than a 2.3% increase in
base academic year salary for AY�
2000-2001.� Stipends for doctoral
and master's degrees are not subject to the 2.3% minimum increase.� �������� ������������
�����������������������
������������ C.������ Employment, Experience and Education History
������������
����������������������� a.�������� Faculty Members
����������������������� New
faculty members will have their education and employment records available at
the time of hire for determination of the various salary factors listed in
section I.� Final determination will be
agreed upon by the President or designee and then concurred in writing by the
newly hired faculty members.
����������������������� b.�������� Current
Faculty Members
����������������������� Education
levels for current faculty members are based on verifiable education completed
prior to September 1, 1995.� Prior
experience used to implement the new salary methodology is identical to that
credited under prior methodologies and recognized by the employer prior to
September 1, 1995.
����������������������� In order to provide for a smooth transition to the new salary methodology (on a one-time basis), faculty members with previously recognized equivalent degrees whose unadjusted salary target is more than $6,000 below their present salary shall be placed two levels higher than the factors justify.� Faculty members with equivalent degrees whose initial unadjusted salary target is more than $3,000 but less than $6,000 below their present salary shall be placed one level higher than the factors justify.
������������ D.������ Recruitment Adjustment Stipends
The employer may at
its discretion pay newly hired faculty members a recruitment adjustment stipend
of up to $4,000 in additional compensation when external market pressures make
recruitment of qualified faculty in that discipline extraordinarily
difficult.� Where practical, faculty
members of the search committee will be consulted when it is deemed necessary
to offer a recruitment adjustment stipend to an applicant.� Faculty members receiving a recruitment
adjustment stipend will be eligible for base increases, experience increases,
and promotion and minimum increases on the formula driven salary (not excluding
the recruitment adjustment stipend) which are negotiated in subsequent years.� Recruitment adjustment stipends will be
subtracted out of the formula driven salary when calculating salary increases
and promotions and then added back into the faculty member's salary.� In no case will the academic year salary of
an employee who has been given a recruitment adjustment stipend be reduced.
������������ E.������� Merit Awards
Merit awards may or may not be implemented at each campus
during AY 1999-2000 and AY 2000-2001 at the discretion of the employer.
������������ F.�������Frozen
Salaries
������������ Faculty
members who have received unsatisfactory evaluations may have their salary
frozen and are exempt from the provision granting a minimum increase upon
recommendation of the President or designee and concurrence of the
Union-Management Committee (or an alternative committee agreed upon by the
parties at the College).�� Faculty
members who have had their salary frozen in a previous year and who believe
their performance has substantially improved may request that their salary be
restored to the level it would have been in the absence of a freeze, effective
the beginning of the next academic year.�
In no case shall any retroactive payment for prior fiscal years be made.� The decision of the Union-Management
Committee in this matter is final and not grievable.
������������ G.������ Level Definition and Threshold Criteria
for Promotion
����������������������� 1.�������� The following criteria are effective
the 2000-2001 academic year and
thereafter.
����������������������������������� Level
I:
No degree through bachelor's degree
Level
II:
Appropriate bachelor's
degree plus 510 hours of approved�
professional development activity and five (5) years of� full-time related teaching or occupational
experience,
or
five (5) years at Level I plus 510 hours of approved
professional development activity for faculty on an approved professional
development plan which allows for an alternative route.
����������������������������������
Level
III:
Appropriate master's degree
and ten (10) years of full-time related teaching or occupational experience,
five (5) of which must be in an instructional position at a regionally� accredited post-secondary institution,
or
five (5) years at Level II plus 570 hours of approved
professional development activity for faculty in an
approved professional development plan which� allows an alternative promotion route.
���������������������������������� Level
IV:
Appropriate master's degree
and five (5) years at Level III plus 720 hours of approved professional
development� activity,
or
appropriate doctorate degree and five (5) years at Level III
plus 570 hours of approved professional development activity.
����������������������� 2.�������� All Professional development activity
used to meet threshold criteria for promotion must be approved by the
employer.� The approval process for� each campus location shall be communicated
to faculty.� Prior approval is recommended.� If a faculty member's request for approval
of a professional development activity is denied, the faculty member may appeal
the denial to the Faculty Administration Committee or an alternative process
agreed upon by the parties but may not appeal such denial through the
contractual grievance procedure.
3.�������� Activities
include experiences that advance a faculty member's professional (educational and occupational) skills,
knowledges, and abilities, and experiences that maintain a faculty member's currency
with technology and practices in education and/or the occupation(s) for which
they prepare/educate students for employment or further education.� Participation in these experiences usually
results in curricular changes or increased teaching effectiveness.� These experiences are usually gained through
participation in activities such as, but not limited to:� college coursework; business and
industry-conducted training; professional organization workshops and
conferences; seminars; etc.
4.�������� Thirty (30)
hours of professional development activity equals one (1) semester credit of
college coursework.� A combination of
approved� college coursework and other
types of approved professional development activity may be used to meet
threshold criteria.
5.�������� The hours of
professional development activity specified for each level must have been
completed since the faculty member's initial hire or last promotion, which ever
is later.
6.�������� The employer
may award credit toward the fulfillment of the hours of professional
development required for promotion for work experience.� Some work experience may not qualify.
7.�������� Part-time
teaching experience will be recognized on a pro rata basis.� For example, an employee who teaches
half-time for ten (10) years will be credited with five (5) years of full-time
teaching experience.
8.�������� New faculty
are typically placed no higher than Level II at the time of hire.� However, in extraordinary circumstances a
newly hired faculty member may be placed at Level III by the employer after consultation
with the members of the search committee.
9.�������� The employer
reserves the right to deny a faculty member's application for promotion or
tenure for the sole reason that the faculty member has not obtained an
appropriate undergraduate or graduate degree.�
Faculty hired in FY 2001 and thereafter will be informed in writing by
the employer of this requirement at the time of hire.
10.������ The threshold
criteria for promotion that were included in the 1997-1999 collective
bargaining agreement shall be used to evaluate promotion applications made
during the 1999-2000 academic year.
11.������ Promotions
become effective at the beginning of the academic year following the year the
promotion review took place but shall not be implemented until after the
ratification of a successor agreement.�
Faculty may submit an application for promotion during the year in which
they meet the eligibility criteria.� If
five (5) years of experience are required, the application may be made during
the fifth (5th) year.
12.����� For faculty
with an appropriate doctorate who are seeking promotion to Level IV, some or
all of the required hours of professional development activity may be met
through approved service or approved scholarly activity.�
13.������ Faculty
members who do not meet the degree requirements for promotion to Level II may
apply for a Half Level II promotion when they have five (5) years of full-time
related teaching or occupational experience and have completed at least half of
the requirement of an appropriate bachelor's degree or have graduated from an
approved professional school which is equivalent to at least two (2) years of
postsecondary education when such professional school alternative is approved
by the Dean, President or designee and the local Union-Management Committee.� The base salary for faculty members who are
given a Half Level II promotion in AY 1999-2000 is $28,080 and in AY 2000-2001
is $28,730.�������������������
14.������ Meeting
threshold education and experience requirements specified in subsection A is
not sufficient in itself to warrant�
promotion.� Promotion to a higher
level also requires application
����������� by the
faculty member and documentation of positive contributions to the College of
Technology.�� The following activities
will be given consideration in evaluation for purposes of promotion:
�����������������������
a.�������� classroom
performance;
b.�������� facility
organization and management of a lab/shop/clinic;
c.�������� instructional
equipment organization and management;
d.�������� development
and revision of curriculum and course material;
e.�������� student
advising;
f.��������� student
outcomes assessment;
g.�������� activities
involving innovative instructional techniques;
h.�������� scholarly
activity such as applied research, presentations and publications;
i.��������� professional
development activities--educational and occupational;
j.���������� achieved
recognition in education, business, industry or in an occupation as evidenced
by licensure or certification;
k.�������� participation
in professional�
organizations--educational, business and industry, occupational;
l.���������� consulting
and other activities with business and industry, and other community
organizations;
m.������� serving on
advisory boards, outside work for agencies, service on campus committees,
awards recognizing service accomplishments.
�����������������������������������
������������ H.������� Promotion Timelines and Procedures������������������
�����������������������
����������������������� 1.�������� Each College of Technology shall have
promotion procedures and criteria.�
Promotion procedures and criteria shall be updated periodically and must
be approved by the Union-Management Committee (or an alternate committee agreed
upon by the parties) and the President or designee.�� Promotion procedures shall include an opportunity for evaluation
and recommendation by faculty members as well as the appropriate levels of the
administration.
2. ������� An employee
may only be promoted one level at a time.�
����������� After an
employee's first promotion (with the exception of those who have received a
Half Level II promotion), the faculty member must wait a
minimum of five (5) years before being eligible for another promotion.���� ��
6.�������� 11.3��� COPIES
OF AGREEMENT (page 35)
Change
to read:� "Upon final ratification
of this agreement, the employer shall have the agreement printed.� Copies of the agreement will be available on
each college campus.� The cost of
printing the agreement shall be shared equally by the employer and the
union."
7.�������� 12.1�
TERM OF AGREEMENT (page 36)
Change
to read:� "This agreement shall be
in effect from ten (10) working days after the date of ratification or July 1,
1999, whichever is later, and shall continue until and including June 30, 2001,
and shall be considered as renewed from year to year thereafter unless either
party to this agreement notifies the other party in writing by March 1, 2001,
of its desire to modify or terminate this agreement.� Negotiations on a subsequent agreement shall commence on a
mutually agreeable date."
8.�������� MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING:� FACULTY WORKLOAD (page 39)
Change
to read:� "The instructional
workload for full-time faculty shall normally fall within the range of 30 to 36
credits per academic year.� The
instructional assignment for a full-time faculty member shall normally not
exceed twenty-five (25) hours per week.�
Where instructional assignments consist of primarily laboratory,
clinical, shop, internship, or cooperative work experience supervision, the
assignment for a full-time faculty member shall not exceed thirty (30) hours
per week.� It is recognized that the
instructional workload of some full-time faculty may be less than 30 to 36
credits when there are additional non-instructional assignments.� Faculty teaching more than thirty-six (36)
credits shall be eligible for overload compensation or a reduction in
non-instructional assignments at the discretion of the campus administration.� Bargaining unit faculty who teach at least
fifteen (15) credits in a semester shall not receive a prorated salary during
that semester