The IFO held our biennial Delegate Assembly March 23 and 24. As we chart our path forward, with the impending ruling of the Janus v. AFSCME case at the U.S. Supreme Court, our faculty attending the assembly were acutely aware of the great challenges that lie ahead. In that context, the assembly adopted two major changes to the IFO operating budget and dues structure that will impact all faculty. Below are the details of those changes and an invitation to contact me with any questions.

IFO FY19 Operating Budget
Once the Janus v. AFSCME ruling is released, the IFO expects to lose as much as $400,000 annually in fair share fees. This reduction in revenue is more than 20% of the organization’s annual operating expenses. This will lead to incredible stress on our ability to maintain the high level of service and grassroots involvement needed for us to be successful advocating for faculty. The IFO Board of Directors adopted a budget recommendation with the goals of:

Protecting core services provided to members; including contract negotiation, enforcement, equity and inclusion, and advocacy.
Enhancing opportunities for faculty to engage and lead at the grassroots level.
Providing the tools that are necessary to make the IFO more successful in the future.

With the above-listed priorities in mind, the IFO Delegate Assembly approved a budget for FY19 that cuts $196,927, a 14.5% reduction of budgeted expenses when compared to FY18. In addition to the cuts, the IFO will run a projected deficit of $220,654 in FY19. IFO will use its reserves to cover the budget shortfall.

Below is a list of budget reductions included in the approved FY19 budget.

FY19 Budget Proposal Highlights (Expense Reductions)

Board Meetings: Reducing the number of times the Board meets annually face-to-face, from 6 times to 4.
Executive Committee Meetings: Reducing the number of times the statewide IFO Executive Committee meets separately from the Board, from 11 meetings to 5.
Committees: Reducing nearly all statewide committee budgets and asking them to meet more often via teleconference.
President’s Release Time: Reducing the IFO President’s extended duty days from 60 to 30 days.
Operations: Aligning the legal budget with actual historical expenditures, per staff recommendation.
FA Local Support: Reducing local FA support from 8.5% to 7.5% of total dues and fair share fees collected during the prior year.
Local Release Time: Reducing the FA presidents’ summer stipends by half and eliminating the Academic Affairs Coordinator’s summer stipend.
Staff Expense: Reducing staff professional development funds and travel reimbursement rates from IRS rate of $.545 per mile to $.30 per mile. Also aligns other staff related budget items with historical spending.

After FY19, IFO will have felt the full ramifications of the Janus v. AFSCME decision and will continue to address the impact in future budgets. The budget adopted at Delegate Assembly provides the stability we need through these uncertain times while we begin to organize and strengthen the IFO as we face the full impact of the Janus case.

DUES STRUCTURE
The IFO Delegate Assembly made a change to the dues structure which reflects our core values of equality and fairness. Beginning in FY19 (July 1, 2018), dues will be set at 1.3% of base salary for all members. Part-time (not including adjunct and community faculty) dues will be calculated proportionally to the percentage of full-time.

Previously, our dues structure was inequitable. Under the past dues structure, a faculty member earning $50,000 annually was paying 1.5% of their salary in dues, while a faculty member at the top of the pay scale was paying .67%. The new dues structure is fair and progressive; those who earn less pay less, and those who earn more, pay a bit more. This change in dues structure aligns the IFO with the vast majority of unions around the country.

This inequality had been raised at many previous Delegate Assemblies. The 2016 Delegate Assembly directed the IFO Board to present a dues structure that was equitable as part of the 2018 Delegate Assembly. The Board carried out their duty, and the equitable dues structure was presented this year. The delegates held a vigorous debate and voted overwhelmingly to enact the equitable 1.3% dues structure beginning in FY19 (July 1, 2018).

Please click here for a spreadsheet of FY19 dues estimates.

If you have any questions or concerns I urge you to contact me, or your campus president. We appreciate your continued support and your commitment to our shared vision, values, and guiding principles.