UFF-Brevard: Contract and Bargaining

Contract and Bargaining

Click to go to Frequently Asked Questions About the 2009-2012 Contract Changes

We have concluded negotiations with the administration of BCC for changes to the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to take effect for the 2009-2010 academic year and the next two years through summer of 2012. We have achieved extensive, unprecedented changes in the CBA that will tremendously increase faculty involvement in the operation and curriculum of Brevard Community College. For the first time, the contract includes detailed faculty and union rights, creation of committees and other opportunities for true shared governance with faculty thoroughly involved in curriculum development, courses and programs, tenure decisions, screening new faculty, transfers of faculty, and textbook adoptions.

In addition, we have gained a reduction in length of the work-year to 165 days from 178 (down to 189 from 202 for librarians), created two broad committee structures - Academic Affairs (Academic Affairs, Academic Technology, Curriculum Clusters, and Learning Resources) and Tenure (Rank, Promotion, and Professional Development) comprised of all faculty members with faculty-elected chairpersons who receive some release time for their leadership, and elevated faculty members to a higher level of recognition within the governance and decision-making in the College.

For the first time all faculty will be paid based on the actual time they are in class whether it is a science, nursing or health science lab, clinical course, PSAV, music or fine arts lab/performance course. Previously, a variety of different formulae and options often meant faculty were paid for less time than they actually taught such as science labs that averaged credit and contact hours. A point system now permits an "apples and oranges" comparison of "face-time" to accomplish this. A basic contract is still fifteen credit hours which equals 150 points. Point values are assigned to various course types such as 10 points per contact hour per week in a science lab course.

Also included are some changes to the Layoff-Recall Article that will give greater notice and recall rights to faculty and give consideration to additional teaching credentials before layoff.

We need the faculty to be involved in this process - implementing the contract changes will be a major effort in the Fall Term as most changes are slated to be in place and functioning by Spring Term. Toward this end, your union is solicited input through online surveys, on campus lunches, and email.

A major effort to inform faculty prior to the ratification vote will take place Thursday and Friday, August 13 and 14 starting with a faculty information session Thursday morning, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, in the Fine Arts Auditorium at the Cocoa Campus. UFF representatives will also be scheduling Q&A sessions to be held on various campuses Friday.

The links below will provide important information for you and help keep you informed as the negotiations progress. The current CBA, minutes of the bargaining session, copies of our proposals, and copies of those agreements already reached will be made available as soon as possible. So please come back often.

Contracts and Related Agreements

The College and UFF has finalized the plan for implementation and reduced to writing an agreement on the schedule for phasing in changes necesitated by the contract. The agreement is available below.

Note that since the August 13 faculty meeting, the administration has concluded that funds are available to implement all the monetary changes as soon as ratification is complete. Such changes will be retroactive to the start of the term. Additionally, the 165-day basic academic-year contract will start effective August 13. Therefore, work days will end in the fall and spring with the last day of classes, and start in spring with two-inservice days prior to the first day of classes. The fifth contractual inservice day has yet to be scheduled but notice will be sent as soon as this is done.

The monetary changes include full pay for classroom contact time rather than averaging credit and contact hours (as is done in science, fine arts, health and nursing labs, and clinicals); increases in overload compensation; Program Coordinator III to Program Manager transition; promotion in rank, and promotion in pay grade. Current faculty may elect in writing to follow either the present or the new processes and procedures. New faculty will follow the new proocesses and procedures.

Committee changes and parking issues - due to the collaboration needed - will become effective the first day of Spring Term. The point system for calculating load will become effective upon completion of computer programming changes and training - but not later than the first day of next fall. However, the actual pay will become effective with ratification.

Please read the MOU for more specifics.

In response to additional input from some faculty members, the UFF Bargaining Team revisited the proposed rank structure as presented in Article 8. The administration has accepted the changes and the newly revised rank table is available below and in the entire contract below that.

Memorandum of Understanding on Implementation: August 14, 2009

Revised Rank Table: August 12, 2009

Summary of 2009-2012 Contract Changes
Work in progress.

2009-2012 Collective Bargaining Agreement - Complete, as ratified

2006-2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement-amended October, 2008

2006-2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement

In response to questions and to provide clarity between various sections related to the tenure process and committees, the UFF Bargaining Team revisited the tenure and tenure committees as provided in Articles 6.16 and 11, the following Memorandum of Understanding was prepared and approved by the UFF and BCC.

Memorandum of Understanding on Tenure: February 3, 2010

A Memorandum of Understanding relating to award of Academic Discipline Peer Awards (ADPA) for Spring, 2010, was entered into in May, 2010. This MOU permits those awards - which were not forthcoming in the Spring, 2010 - to be provided in Fall, 2010-11 academic year.

Memorandum of Understanding on ADPA: May, 2010

Meeting Schedule

All bargaining sessions are 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., in the Cocoa Campus Board Room, Administration Building, Second Floor unless otherwise noted. Under Florida's Sunshine Law, all sessions are open to the public.