Salary increases are effective as of October 1, 2019.  You should receive both your raise for this month and retroactive pay in your January paycheck.  Here’s what the increases look like over time:

This means that there will be at least 1.25% merit the first two years of the contract and at least 1% the last two years. 

The administration came to the table wanting one thing:  increases in the shared contribution to our health benefits and new deductibles for everyone.  The negotiating team was able to push their numbers down, delay the implementation of the increases to the last two years of the contract, and limit the number of people who would need to pay a deductible.  Here’s the schedule:

* For services like lab tests, x-rays, imaging and outpatient surgery

A departmental merit committee must now include at least one NTT faculty member, provided one is available, when evaluating NTT faculty members for merit.   At least one of the members appointed by the college or school assembly shall be an NTT faculty member when evaluating NTT faculty members for merit.

In addition, new language has been added which suggests that schools should include in their merit guidelines discipline-specific ranges of units for each type of accomplishment that can be claimed in applying for merit.  

NTTs who are compensated 100% on grants will have any approved merit applied to base pay.  If any current grant funding is insufficient to compensate the faculty member for the merit increase, the difference shall be paid by the school/college.

The Provost now has the right to offer individuals half units of merit for exceptional effort even if they had not been already awarded a unit.

There is new language that states that an individual employed as an NTT for 6 consecutive years or more will receive new appointments that are 3 years or longer.  If a chair wants to rehire someone for a shorter term, they need to write a letter of explanation that documents the reason for the reduced contract length. That letter is sent to the NTT and copied to the dean and the Office of the Provost.  NTTs who are research faculty funded predominantly or wholly on external grants are not included as their positions are understood to be based on the timeline of the external grant.

In addition, if an NTT who has worked for more than 3 years but less than 5 years is not going to be renewed, an additional month has been added to the time frame by which they must be informed.  The period had been 2 months prior to the end of an individual’s appointment, and now it is 3 months prior. 

Language has been clarified to ensure that not only is the promotion process clear, but criteria as well. In addition, those criteria should be consistent with university guidelines and the TAUP contract.

The new language in the contract states that “SFFs shall not be used as the sole criterion and shall not be used as the primary criterion for evaluating faculty for hiring, re-appointment, termination or any other personnel decision. In cases of discipline, the University may decide at its sole discretion, to use SFFs as the primary or sole basis for initiating the disciplinary process.”

This means that personnel decisions must be based on more than just information received from anonymous student surveys, and their surveys cannot be the primary reason for critical decisions that affect people’s careers.  Because the university is concerned that SFFs may disclose troubling information that only students in a class might be able to report on, they can be used to initiate a disciplinary investigation.

As of July 1, 2020, eligible faculty members who contribute 4.5% of base salary will receive an employer contribution of 7.5% of base salary, and on July 1, 2022,  the university will begin to contribute 8% of base salary.

In addition, within six (6) months of ratification, the University will take the necessary steps to allow hardship distribution of employee funds in the 403(b) plan in accordance with IRS guidelines.

At least one NTT faculty member must be included on any school/college committee and on the Faculty Senate Committee that evaluates NTT faculty members for sabbatical.

Currently NTTs become eligible for sabbaticals after their 10th year at Temple, but now NTTs who have accrued more than six (6) years of full-time service may apply provided that they have secured the prior approval of their dean or the Provost.

No, but they reserved the right to pursue it through the PA Labor Board in the future if they want to.  We hope they will not go down this path, but if they do, we will let you know when they announce their intent.

Yes, but we were not going to accept that. Instead, we agreed to informing individuals who come to the union with a discrimination grievance of processes that the university has (independent of the union) for investigating and resolving discrimination cases. 

In addition, there is an option now for an additional fact finding step when a grievance reaches Step 2.  Either party may request it to ensure that both sides have all the facts in the case, and both TAUP and the administration hope that it may offer more opportunity for an informal resolution if possible.

Faculty will now have greater voice in defining the prestigious awards in their fields. Collegial assemblies of each school/college will make a recommendation to the dean regarding which fellowships and awards should be considered “prestigious” within each discipline.  The dean will consider the recommendation and make a final determination.

In the case of retrenchment—when the university declares a financial emergency and lays workers off–NTTs will now have notice that is equal to the notice received for non-renewal.

In addition, the order in which retrenchment occurs will give a degree of seniority to NTTs who have worked at the university for five years or more.

Effective with the 2021-2022 academic year, the University will be entering into The Tuition Exchange. If you are eligible for tuition benefits, your dependents will be eligible to participate.  

Eligibility was established in previous contracts. Here is the language:

1. 1. 1.   All full-time bargaining unit members hired prior to October 15, 2014, shall be entitled to full tuition remission for themselves and dependent children in accordance with University policy.  Spouses of all full-time faculty are eligible for tuition benefits under this policy. Full-time bargaining unit members hired on or after October 15, 2014, shall be entitled to tuition remission for themselves immediately.  Full-time bBargaining unit members hired on or after October 15, 2014 shall be entitled to tuition remission for their dependent children and/or spouses of full-time faculty as follows:
         1. Year one of service:  50% undergraduate tuition remission;
         2. Years two and three of service:  75% undergraduate tuition remission;
         3. Beginning the first semester following completion of (3) three years of service:  100% undergraduate tuition remission.

For more information about the Exchange itself, go to https://www.tuitionexchange.org/

Because NTTs are not always informed of tenure track jobs that are available at Temple, within six (6) months of ratification, the university will develop a method for posting full time faculty openings through its applicant tracking system.  The system will also allow individuals to establish profiles and email alerts for positions for which they are interested.