Summary of 2015 Mid-Term Negotiation

(Multi-Year Appointment Tentative Agreement)[1]

I. Longer Appointments for In-Residence Faculty

New and renewal appointments are generally for two years for all ranks.

  • Exceptions are externally funded faculty (grants and contracts), faculty hired from private practice acquisitions, or by faculty request.

  • Reappointment, if made, will be for two years if clinical targets are met and academic evaluations are acceptable or better. If clinical targets are not met, or academic evaluations are below acceptable, then reappointments, if made, can revert to one-year appointments.
  • Initial appointments carry a one-year probationary period.
  • Existing Alternative Bonus Plans (ABPs) will be grandfathered in over time.

 II. New Deadline for Notice of Non-Renewal

  • Notice of non-renewal or renewal with FTE reduction must be provided to the faculty on or before April 1st of the final year of an appointment. The FTE noted in your appointment letter will be maintained throughout the appointment; however, effort allocation may be changed during the appointment period.

III. Task Force to Better Align Effort Allocation with Promotion Criteria

  • The AAUP and UCONN Health will establish a taskforce to determine how to ensure effort allocation is consistent with promotional criteria for each faculty category.

 IV. Small Changes to Allocation of Clinical Merit in the Faculty Merit Plan

  • A small portion of the clinical merit pool will be distributed as “Good Standing” based on seven provider-specific CGCAHPS survey questions, effective clinical scheduling and as a mandatory distribution to faculty as determined by the Chair or Center Director.

Comments:

  • Currently, there is no deadline at all for non-renewal. This has created much confusion for both the faculty and the administration alike. The April 1st deadline will allow a reasonable amount of time for non-renewed faculty to make alternative plans.
  • Defined criteria for multi-year appointments and defined dates for non-renewal or changing total FTE are a significant benefit; we view this as a first step in creating the foundation for better multi-year appointments in the future. (such as 3-or 5-year appointments)
  • Our initial estimates show that at least 50% of in-residence faculty will qualify for the new two-year appointments. (assuming clinical and academic performance remain the same)
  •  We strongly support discussion of matching effort with promotional criteria, a complicated but critical matter.
  • The one-year probation for new hires was the administration’s idea. Without the AAUP’s agreement to it, there would not have been a deal. We think this will likely be removed in future collective bargaining negotiations since there are valid business reasons for why the administration will want it withdrawn. The AAUP is already exploring ways to mitigate its effects.
  •  Clinical merit distribution changes will be positive for most faculty. These changes are a small component of total merit and are unlikely to have significant impact on a faculty member’s merit allocation.
  •  This deal positions us well for the upcoming faculty collective bargaining negotiation, especially relating to continuing salary increases, merit allocation and other improved working conditions.

[1] This is just a summary of the major agreement points. Of course, we encourage you to read the document in its entirety.