Please find below the negotiations updates for our last two meetings. Both meetings were dedicated to Health and Welfare Benefits for Part-Time Faculty.
Negotiations Update April 26, 2019
The District countered our previous Health and Welfare Benefits for part-time faculty with an offer to provide Vision Insurance. As the conversation continued, we learned that the vision insurance the District was offering was simply a process that directed part-time faculty to a website where they can purchase their own vision insurance. We explained to the District that providing faculty with a website for insurance in which the faculty themselves will have to fund is very different from providing them with an actual benefit. Our counterproposal requested District funded vision and dental insurance to begin in the fall while we continue to negotiate health benefits to be implemented in the 2020 academic year. The Districts final counter for the day reverted to providing part-time faculty with a website to explore and purchase their own insurance. We will continue negotiations on this topic on Friday, May 3rd.
Negotiations Update May 3rd, 2019
After much debate, we ended the day with the ability to offer up to 115 Part-time faculty with dental benefits. The district will cover 75% of the cost during the periods in which the faculty members are employed, not to exceed 10 months per academic year. The District will be coordinating an enrollment period prior to the fall semester. Enrollment is based on seniority.
Due to the complex nature of restrictions placed on part-time faculty benefits from the providers, we were unable to negotiate a comprehensive plan without conducting more extensive research. Current options from providers require rates that are unreasonably high for faculty. We agreed to continue the research process over the next year with the expectation that a more affordable comprehensive plan will be implemented for part-time faculty on July 1, 2020. The cap of 115 faculty is being used during this exploratory year to determine how many part-time faculty will take advantage of benefits. This data, in combination with upcoming surveys related to part-time benefits, will help guide our negotiations in the coming year. We are so very pleased to have made progress on health and welfare benefits for part-time faculty. The greatest battle in negotiating these types of benefits for faculty is getting the District to understand the tremendous need our faculty have that goes above and beyond that of compensation and includes the benefits we can offer faculty and their families. Once the precedent has been set, the benefits can only improve with time. This is truly a great achievement for the negotiations team and an incredible advancement for our ever so important part-time faculty.
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