Q. I am applying for tenure/promotion this year. Do the tenure/promotion provisions of this contract apply to next year?
A. This contract applies to THIS YEAR ONLY, 2008-09. Bargaining for a contract starting August 7, 2009, will begin early in 2009. Having said that, the promotion raises have been stable for a number of years, and it is in no one’s interest to have a dry (raiseless) promotion.
Q. What does the inclusion of librarians in promotion language mean for promotions to associate/full professor?
A. The language is inclusive: promotion raises are applied in the same manner for those promoted to associate professors and associate librarians, or for those promoted to full professor and librarian.
Q. In a general way can you describe how the 1.0% monies will likely be used and who might ultimately receive them?
A. Discretionary mean at the discretion of the administration—at their SOLE discretion. The university has already distributed approximately $400,000 since July 1—if ratified, this tentative agreement would make active disputes about those distributed funds thus far this fiscal year moot. With the rest of the discretionary authority, the university administration can do whatever they want—not distribute it at all, distribute some or all evenly to all in-unit employees, distribute some as raises and some as bonuses, even give the rest of the authorized money to a single in-unit faculty member. Discretionary truly means discretionary, and as long as the university does not violate other provisions of the contract or the law (e.g., discriminate on the basis of sex, race, or other suspect categories), it has the freedom to do what it wants with the authority.
