We are pleased to announce the IFO has reached a tentative agreement with the employer for the 2021-2023 contract. Detailed information may be found at www.ifo.org/contractsettlement.
This round of negotiations presented many unique challenges. The negotiations team faced a trend of retrenchments, campus budget cuts, non-renewal of fixed-term and adjunct appointments, the elimination of sports programs, and a reduction of IFO qualified counselors. In addition, the COVID pandemic created an entirely new set of compounding budget and enrollment issues.
With this in mind, the team decided early that bold action was required to protect our members’ jobs. The negotiations team, with the full support of the IFO Board, decided to forgo across-the-board pay increases for the first year of the contract. This action was taken to save as many jobs and academic programs as possible across all our campuses. We have seen a dramatic decrease in faculty, coaching, and counseling positions across all 7 campuses. Although this was a tough decision, we have no doubt it saved jobs for several of our members, including tenured faculty. The team was able to secure a modest, but meaningful pay increase in the second year for all faculty. The pay increase for the 2022-2023 academic year is 4.1% for tenured, probationary, and fixed-term faculty and 5% for adjunct and community faculty. Our team is confident no money was left on the table.
The team was successful in reaching agreements on several important Delegate Assembly language items, some of which had been sought after for years. They were also successful in fending off numerous employer proposals to increase management control and eliminate well-established benefits and protections for all faculty.
The fight does not end here. Faculty from across the state will continue to work with legislators and the governor to fund our campuses and protect the quality and accessibility of our universities. The IFO will be seeking a substantial supplemental budget appropriation during the 2022 legislative session. If successful, this new base funding will be available for the next and all future rounds of negotiations.
The negotiation process is demanding. I encourage you to thank your campus negotiator and contingent appointments advisory committee reps for their tireless effort and strong advocacy.
In the coming weeks, your FA leadership and campus negotiator will hold informational meetings to present the details of the agreement, answer any questions, and hear your feedback. Please watch for additional information about those meetings from your campus leadership. Voting is scheduled to open on December 9 and close on the 13th. If you are not a member of the IFO and wish to cast a vote for this contract you have until 4 pm on December 7 to become a member.
The IFO Board of Directors recommends the membership vote in favor of ratifying the tentative agreement.