Negotiations Lead to Successful VSC Part-time Faculty Union Contract!

The part-time unit of the VSC Faculty Federation (VSC-FF) had a successful negotiation and settled their contract with the VSC in record time. The new four-year contract was signed on July 26 by the Chancellor and the VSCFF part-time faculty bargaining co-chairs and the AFT Vermont union representative.

This new agreement provides wage increases to all pay grades in the contract with a focus on increasing wages more for those earning less, improvements to the free tuition provision, and provides a provision to re-open the contract to discuss health insurance should the ACA be repealed or changed substantially. The parties settled the contract quickly and members voted to accept it in June.  

Chancellor Jeb Spaulding praised the improved salary pay grades, saying, "I like the feature where the lower [pay] grades got a bump. I appreciated that people worked constructively to reach a mutually beneficial agreement in four sessions."

The new pay grades are shown in the chart below. VSC-FF faculty who have successfully taught more credits are paid more in recognition of their expertise.

(Note that CCV faculty do not receive equal pay for equal work in the VSC system. Instead, CCV faculty earn a flat $1,274 per credit regardless of how many successful credits we've taught.)

VSCFF negotiating team member John Hoagland of Castleton University pointed out that bargaining process was cordial and collaborative. He said: "This was the definition of negotiations and should be an example for all future negotiations. Both sides worked together and arrived at a contract that was fair and equitable to both parties. A lot of hard work went into this negotiation and both parties came away happy."

VSCFF President Lisa Cline noted that she really appreciates the way part-time faculty voices were heard at the bargaining table. "Part time faculty are essential to the work of the colleges; it's so important that they have a strong voice. Our institutions benefit when we all work together for the benefit of our students. We look forward to supporting CCV faculty in having a seat at the table," said Lisa.

As you can see, our union colleagues have an excellent rapport with the Vermont State Colleges and we look forward to continuing with our positive relationship with the CCV administration, as well.

Having a union will allow us to bargain over issues such as wage parity with other VSC part-time faculty. This would create economic stability for faculty and continuity for students as it would encourage longevity at CCV.

Please reply to this email if you'd like a copy of the new contract for some ideas about what CCV faculty might propose!

Together we can advocate for our profession and our students!

In Solidarity,
CCV Organizing Committee