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In this issue:
Important Dates for YOUR Calendar
New Arbitration Victories
Convocation Report
Spring 2008 Election
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IMPORTANT DATES FOR *YOUR* CALENDAR
NYU:
* Open enrollment for health insurance is November 5-25. This is your annual window to register for benefits - if you
miss it, you will have to wait until the following November. If you have questions about your benefits, contact the NYU Benefits
Office at (212) 998-1270 or visit http://www.nyu.edu/hr/adjunct/adjbenf.html
* NYU is creating an Adjunct Pension Plan, as part of our contract. (The university currently offers an individual contribution
plan that members can contribute to; see "Financial Security for Your Retirement" at http://www.nyu.edu/hr/adjunct/adjbenf.html.)
Over the summer, we met with university administrators to discuss the new plan, which includes an employer contribution, and
we will be sending details as they are finalized. The first NYU contribution will take place in Fall 2008.
* 2007-08 Professional Development funds are available. As a result of a settlement with university administrators, a
minimum allocation of $3,000 will be given to each school. The rest of the fund will be divided using the previous per-capita
arrangement. Also part of the settlement, university administrators agreed to increase the total amount available to faculty
in the Tisch School of the Arts and the Gallatin school by $2,500 per school, for 2007-08 only. The funds are used quickly,
so please apply early.
* Your letter requesting reappointment for 2008-09 must be submitted by Friday December 14, 2007. To be eligible for
re-appointment, or termination pay if you are not being reappointed, you must notify the chair or head of your department
in writing by December 14. For details and a sample letter, see: http://actuaw.org/nyu_reappointment_due.html
NEW SCHOOL:
* Although there are no immediate deadlines for New School members, the December 15 appointment deadline affects all
Multi-Year, Annual and Post Probationary faculty. By December 15 you should receive a solicitation from the university for
your availability and your schedule preferences for the 2008-09 appointment. While you have until February 1, 2008 to respond,
we recommend that you complete the form and respond as quickly as possible.
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NEW ARBITRATION VICTORIES
Since last we reported on the Local's arbitration activity, we have had several solid victories at NYU, and several cases
settled. More cases are in progress at both NYU and The New School.
At The New School, we settled several arbitrations successfully over the past year. This year, The New School is challenging
some of the key victories of our contract: there will be important arbitrations on key issues such as base-load appointment,
and the calculation of medical premium caps. Another arbitration case addresses the situation at Mannes where the administration
implemented a new student/faculty request system that severely limits the potential enrollment for faculty teaching individual
instruction.
We are closely following the progress of several grievances regarding pay rate and base-load reduction payments. We anticipate
that we will be filing several other arbitrations as the semester continues, and will keep you informed.
A recent NYU victory concerns the content of annual May 21 appointment letters. Since Spring 2005, the university sent
us letters that only broadly indicated employment in the following year - less information than most of us received prior
to the contract. This was a key item in our contract negotiation, and we felt the lack of detailed information in these letters
was a direct challenge. We filed for arbitration, arguing that letters must state the name, date, and time of the course(s)
for both Fall and Spring semesters. The arbitrator ruled in our favor, and beginning in Spring 2008, you will be notified
by your department no later than May 21 of your appointment to specific courses, including the scheduled meeting times for
both the following Fall '08 and Spring '09 semesters. To receive a notification, you must send a letter requesting reappointment
by Friday December 14, 2007 - for details and a sample letter, see http://actuaw.org/nyu_reappointment_due.html
Two arbitrations were filed concerning unit inclusion. The first was filed for Field Learning Advisors, 30 in all, in
the School of Social Work. University administrators claimed that, based on their job titles, the FLAs did not teach, and
were therefore not eligible for any benefits under our contract. We filed for arbitration, but were able to settle the case
before the hearing began. Those faculty members will now be eligible for health insurance, have access to professional development
funds, and will be covered by the pension plan. The second arbitration concerned about 70 clinical instructors in the Nursing
Program. The arbitrator decided that they too should have been included in the bargaining unit. We are still meeting with
university administrators to finalize their adjusted pay rate. They too will be eligible for health insurance, professional
development, and the pension plan beginning this fall. As with the prior arbitrations, the dedication of several individuals,
willing to step up and stick with the fight, was essential to winning these cases.
We have several arbitrations pending that are directly related to termination pay (article X in our contract).
All arbitrations, whether at The New School or NYU, support the efforts of our Local as well as our contracts. As we approach
the negotiation of the next New School contract in 2008-09, and the contract at NYU in 2009-10, these successes will bolster
our ability to improve and solidify our positions. In every victory, it has been proven that the efforts of one or two individuals
have really helped the good of the many, and we urge everyone to involve themselves individually in this collective process.
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PART-TIME FACULTY CONVOCATION
On September 26 we held our second annual ACT-UAW Part-Time Faculty Convocation. The event was well attended and brought
together many new and returning faculty to share their past experiences and their plans for the new semester. Many people
took the opportunity to pick-up their Member Cards, which we printed last Spring.
The evening was a great chance to meet our Local's leaders, who honored Ward Regan with a signed photograph from the Executive
Committee. Ward, who was on the NYU bargaining committee, previously held the position of President of our Local. He has since
gone on to a FT position at NYU, and returned to share fond memories of the earliest years of our Local.
Book tables, a slide presentation and refreshments rounded off the day's activities. If you missed this year's event,
we hope you will be with us next year.
The slide presentation is now on the web at http://actuaw.org/gallery
More information on Member Cards at http://actuaw.org/card.html
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SPRING 2008 ELECTION
Every three years, we elect new officers - our next election is in Spring 2008. You'll be hearing more about the elections
in our upcoming newsletter (which you should receive by the end of November), or check out the information at http://actuaw.org/election
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KEEP US INFORMED
If your home address, email address or phone number has changed: http://actuaw.org/address.html
If you think your employer might have treated you unfairly or violated our contract: http://actuaw.org/grievances.html
If you have questions that aren't covered in our website: http://actuaw.org/contact.html
If you have a story to share with us and your fellow members: http://actuaw.org/contact.html
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