Highlights from Part Time Faculty 'Fair Contract Now' Rally, 10/20/22

Great energy and solidarity from UVM students, United Academics full time faculty, UVM Staff United, AFT Vermont, Vermont State Labor Council AFL-CIO, Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, and the Burlington community. Stay tuned for more calls to action!

UA Announces 2022 Student Scholarship Recipients!

Each year UA awards several scholarships to students who demonstrate an active commitment to community service (paid or unpaid), especially in pursuit of social, economic or environmental justice. The UA Scholarship Committee is very excited to announce the recipients of this year’s scholarships.

Linda Backus Memorial Scholarship

Marissa Cobeo

Marissa Cobeo is a graduating senior in the College of Education and Social Services at the

University of Vermont. She is receiving her Bachelors in Social Work and minored in the

Education of Cultural and Linguistic Diversity. Marissa has been very involved working with the

BIPOC community in Burlington Vermont. Over the past 6 years, she has worked closely with

Refugee youth and families in various programs. She has many years of advocacy experience in

the field such as requesting and facilitating training for people working with minority youth,

meeting with schools and community programs, and planning equitable programming. Marissa

will be continuing her social work journey by attending NYU in the fall for an MSW.

David Shiman Scholarship

Ali House

Ali House is honored to be this year’s recipient of the David Shiman scholarship. In the 1960s,

David Shiman used his voice to advocate for fair housing legislation and other critical issues.

Today, Ali and her community continue similar fights right here in Burlington. Ali credits her

time at UVM, especially the Social Work Department, with helping her find her voice. Through

her educational experience, Ali found the language to describe the injustices she has seen and felt

in the world. She believes that language (and the refusal to be silent) liberates and empowers

people. She plans to continue using her voice to stand for justice.

Jeffrey Brace Scholarship

Molly Gress

Molly Gress is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, graduating with majors in

Economics and Environmental Studies and a minor in Community and International

Development. While at UVM, Molly interned with Sustainable Transportation Vermont (STVT)

in her sophomore year and interned with a political organization known as Rights and

Democracy (RAD) during her junior year. She utilized her knowledge of transportation and

environmental issues in the STVT internship to work on a local biking initiative. While interning

with RAD, she worked towards bettering her community organizing and communication skills to

work on local social and environmental justice issues. After graduation, Molly hopes to gain

opportunities that bring both the field of economics and the environment together.

Caitlyn Kutash

Caitlyn Kutash is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences pursuing a double major

in political science and sociology with a concentration in crime and criminal justice. This year

she interned with the Office of the Federal Public Defender and the Chittenden County Public

Defender’s office where she assisted attorneys and investigators with criminal defense casework

on behalf of indigent clients. Last year, she volunteered at the East Allen Dismas House in

Winooski to create a resource manual for the residents to support their reintegration into their

communities after prison. Through her internship experiences and coursework, Caitlyn has

become an advocate for investing in community-based alternatives to incarceration. She hopes to

attend law school in the future.

Emily Wanzer

Emily Wanzer is a senior studying geography and history, with curiosity and love for the natural

world and belief in the power of disability justice. They have written about food justice

initiatives across the state of Vermont and are working on a thesis about human-tree

interconnection amidst settler colonialism. They are currently learning a lot about organizing

through work with Resource Generation, which organizes young people with wealth and class

privilege to become leaders working towards the redistribution of wealth, land, and power. Emily

lives with loving housemates next to pigeon and squirrel friends and plays on UVM’s ultimate

Frisbee team.

Hannah Wong

Hannah Wong is a recent 2022 graduate of the University of Vermont. During her time at

UVM, she discovered her passion for social work and hopes to continue in this caring profession

going forward. She shows her commitment for social justice through her position as the

coordinator of the Social Justice Coalition of the UVM Outing Club, and through previous

mentoring and leadership positions. Outside of the classroom, she most enjoys recreating

outdoors, reading, and spending time with friends and family. Hannah will continue her social

work journey in Seattle, Washington this fall.

More about our scholarships:

The David Shiman Scholarship of $1,500 is presented to a UVM senior with an outstanding and sustained record of community service, especially in pursuit of social or economic justice. The scholarship is named in honor of David Shiman, longtime professor of education at UVM and past president of United Academics.

The Linda Backus Memorial Scholarship of $1,000 is presented to an undergraduate student for outstanding community service, especially in pursuit of social or economic justice. The scholarship is named in honor of Linda Backus, former UVM professor of education, committed union organizer, and second president of United Academics.

UA also awards three $500 Jeffrey Brace Scholarships to students with an active commitment to community service, especially in pursuit of social or economic justice. The scholarship is named in honor of Jeffrey Brace, an early 19th-century Black Vermonter, previously enslaved person and activist. Scholarship recipients will be selected based on demonstrated involvement in community service, especially activities related to social and/or economic justice, in keeping with United Academics’ values.

BFP: UVM wage gap is at the center of staff union efforts. How much does the president make?

https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2022/05/13/university-vermont-union-efforts-to-close-wage-gap-crux-uvm-conflict/9716586002/

“Full-time staff salaries at UVM are as low as $27,300 for library support assistants, $27,500 for research assistants, and $28,430 for technical support generalists.

These salaries are all less than the minimum needed to afford rent in Burlington, according to a 2021 cost of living report published by the non-profit National Low Income Housing Coalition.

The report found that the average renter in Burlington needs to make at least $39,178 per year to afford a one-bedroom apartment, and $49,258 to afford a two-bedroom apartment.

"I have had to get a second job just to get by,” UVM program support generalist Crispina Pincus said at a university town hall meeting on Feb. 17. “I didn’t want to work two jobs, working 13 to 15 hours a day. I’m not a superhuman, I get tired.”

UA Endorses Migrant Justice May Day Events

UA has endorsed the following May Day events being held by our friends at Migrant Justice:

March to the Burlington Hannaford’s @ 1:30 PM. Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/3184991001783329/?ref=newsfeed

Rally at the Middlebury Hannaford’s @ 11:30 AM. Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/4969388446511715?ref=newsfeed

 After the Burlington event, there will be food, music, and opportunities to learn more about MJ’s work at Centennial Woods park. Please consider supporting Migrant Justice in their campaign to hold Hannaford’s accountable for human rights issues affecting farm workers throughout their supply chains!

Anyone interested in volunteering at this event should contact Migrant Justice at info@migrantjustice.net

UA response to UVM's lifting of mask mandate

Dear Faculty,

UVM dropped its mask mandate on March 19, announcing the change to the entire community on March 16. Our Executive Council met to discuss how best to respond to this and to consider what options there may be for faculty who could be imperiled by this shift. We requested that UVM delay the lifting of the mask mandate by one week to give us more time to prepare, and to let more time pass after UVM spring break and after the Burlington school system lifted its mask mandate for all schoolchildren on Monday. They were not willing to delay this.

We asked the administration if faculty will be able to require masks in their own classroom. Gary Derr indicated that faculty cannot require this. However, as faculty you can discuss masking with your classes and request mask-wearing if you or a student in your class is particularly vulnerable. We consider this to be a reasonable option and a way to care for one another and our community. This would be a similar situation in an office setting or during office hours or meetings. 

We have also indicated our position that faculty who are or have family members who are particularly vulnerable should be able to shift to remote instruction as the mask mandate is lifted. The administration has indicated that this would only be possible in cases where there is a documented medical condition or special circumstance.

We are disappointed, but not surprised, that the administration did not approach us sooner to share this with us or to invite faculty feedback. (However, the administration anticipated this plan long enough in advance to script, record, and produce Garimella’s “Ensuring Student Success” video, which was released on March 17.)

  • If you plan to request special arrangements or a longer term modality change, we encourage you to contact us so we can support you in the process.

  • Remember that if you need to take a short-term ‘leave’ (sick days, children’s sick days, etc.) for less than two weeks, you can make arrangements with your Chair, which could include short-term remote instruction, in accordance with Article 20.6.

  • Email the Provost and President to share your concerns, and copy info@unitedacademics.org so we can track these. 

  • If you encourage continued mask wearing in class or office and encounter any issues, please let us know. We will be following this situation closely and will work with individual faculty who need support.

Contract Tip: Changes to summer course pay

Faculty can view this and other contract tips as PDF documents on our Contract Tips page.

Dear UA faculty,

Be advised that the pay rate for summer courses will be different this summer 2022 than in the past. As a result of our most recent negotiations with the administration, the pay rate for this summer will be $2518 per credit (2.75% of the average full time faculty base salary). The Collective Bargaining Agreement relevant article (19.6.b) says: "Effective for the summer session of 2022, summer session course rates shall be the same as the supplemental rates specified in Section 3.c.i of this Article or 2.75% of the average (mean) base salary of bargaining unit faculty, (as adjusted for 1.0 FTE as necessary, calculated as of December 1 of the year preceding the summer session) for each credit hour taught, whichever is greater."  

The average bargaining unit faculty salary on Dec. 1 (adjusted to 1.0) was $91,558, and 2.75% of that is $2518.  This is greater than the 19.3.c.i rate of $2100, so the pay rate for this summer will be $2518 per credit for all full time faculty. This change is only in effect for this summer, unless UA and the administration renegotiate this. 

We are aware that some administrators had sent out a communication with a different interpretation of this, so hopefully this clarifies the 2022 summer course rate. Please let our Contract Administration Committee know if you have any questions: contract@unitedacademics.org. 

Faculty union pushes for faculty and staff representation on board of trustees -- VT Cynic

https://vtcynic.com/news/faculty-push-for-representation-on-board-of-trustees/

Article Excerpt:


”UVM’s faculty union, United Academics, aims to get faculty and staff representation on the board of trustees, according to a Feb. 14 email from UA communications.

UA introduced a revised version of a bill known as Senate Bill 248. If passed, nine new representatives would be added to the board of trustees, according to the revised bill.

The new seats would be reserved for four faculty members, four staff and one student, according to the bill.

“The current structure of UVM leadership, we feel, is failing us all,” UA President Eleanor Miller said. “The board of trustees has shut out the voices of faculty, staff and many students, and there is no opportunity for meaningful participation."“

UA faculty member David Feurzeig's comments at 2/17 Town Hall

Click here to access a PDF version of these comments.

“I’m David Feurzeig, Professor of Music and member of United Academics, UVM’s faculty union. While Staff United is bargaining its first-ever contracts, the Part-Time Faculty is negotiating its fifth. In both negotiations, management is following the same tired playbook: delay, dissemble, and divide. They say that if staff get more, there will be less for faculty, and vice-versa; that if we win fair compensation and manageable workloads, students will pay more; that faculty and staff are focused on narrow self-interest and not the larger mission of UVM.

This is false. We work here, often for less than we could earn in the private sector, because we choose to serve the UVM’s mission and students. And also—people used to say—because of a community-minded and supportive workplace. I don’t hear that much anymore, because UVM’s administration has been steadily destroying it. Morale is at an all-time low as staff are asked to do more and more for less. People leave, are not replaced, and those left behind have to pick up the slack. These reductions are happening as enrollments and revenue go to record highs.

Contrary to the false austerity message management uses to divide faculty and students, UVM brings in more money every year than it spends. While crying poverty to students and staff UVM has been turning a huge profit every year according to its own audited financial statements: $34M in 2018, $38M in 2019, $21M in 2020, and $187M in 2021. To put this in perspective: UVM could give every single worker represented by Staff United a one-time bonus of $140,000 and still have exactly as much money as it did one year earlier.

Unfortunately, there is an us and them here, but the dividing line is not between staff and students or faculty. It is between all of us and an out-of-control, corporatized, overpaid administration.

Students and faculty know that a staff that is overworked, underpaid, disempowered, and disrespected cannot fulfill UVM’s mission. Our solidarity is the only counterweight to a misguided administration whose interests no longer align with UVM’s.

Students, faculty, and staff: we are the university. And we need to stand together to claw back UVM’s ample resources for UVM.”