Facts about our contract/negotiations that you might not know.
1/27/22
It’s the U and I in UNION
that makes us STRONG
DID YOU KNOW that the SBFA represents 278 members with over 40 different job titles?
Each member IS the union. The FA is not all those other people down the hall or just your rep or the officers or some faceless entity. The FA is YOU. And all of us together make the SBFA better and stronger as we work as one to the benefit of all.
Here’s one example of the SBFA at work:
On the next pay stub, many members will see an extra payment of almost $1,000. This is a lump sum contractual payment based on Article 28.5 of the FA contract that was won for us by one of our past negotiations teams. The unused budget for the Early Retirement Incentive is paid out to members of the bargaining unit with ongoing full-time regular appointments.
Many of us are getting this payment right now thanks to our past efforts in tough negotiations.
Your support of YOUR union, the SBFA, and our current negotiation efforts is the best way to make progress towards a fair and equitable contract for ALL our members going forward. U and I make our UNION strong. Let’s support each other and make sure that the SBFA GETS A FAIR SHAKE.
12/20/21
Did you know that the Faculty Association has had eight negotiating sessions with the administration, yet the administration has brought zero compensation offers to the table?
They have consistently shown a lack of willingness to negotiate and seem only to want to dictate the terms in their favor.
In response, the FA is asking YOU to skip the President’s Spring Faculty Staff Assembly in January and to join with other faculty for an alternate FA breakfast on campus instead.
The administration is asking departments to “ghost” numerous sections for Spring ‘22. “Ghost” is a euphemism for “cut,” in our thinking, and is an attempt to get around the language of our current contract about section cuts.
To show solidarity during these ongoing negotiations and to send a message that we deserve a fair shake out of this contract, the Faculty Association is calling for members to “ghost” the President’s Spring Assembly and to join with other faculty for good food, coffee, and some morning collegiality.
Check your email in January for specific details.
SUNY Broome faculty deserve a fair shake.
11/8/21
Did you know that you can buy newly designed FA swag?
https://sbfa21.itemorder.com/sale
This is a tangible way to show your support for the Faculty Association Negotiating Team during their tough bargaining sessions and also visibly demonstrate our FA unity to everyone on campus.
The Fair Shake Logo tee-shirt is the official FA statement attire. We will wear these on specific days to show our FA determination and our unity, so be sure to order one of those. The traditional SBFA logo and our negotiations slogan are great additions to your wardrobe too!
The FA online store closes on November 22, so don’t miss out. Once the orders come in, we will distribute them on campus to you.
Let’s join together and stay united in solidarity. We are stronger together. The SBFA Deserves a Fair Shake!
10/28/21
DID YOU KNOW that on February 12, 2021, the FA won a grievance against the College through arbitration about a member who was suspended without pay several years ago?
The decision meant that the College needs to put the member back on the payroll with back pay. Instead of following the order from the independent arbitrator, the College took the unusual step of appealing this decision in Court, a lengthy process which they are 99% certain of not winning. With the NYSUT Legal Department representing the FA in court, the College has already lost their first appeal in State Supreme Court and are now appealing even that decision. It appears they are trying to starve out the member and delay making this person whole as long as possible. This is an issue of justice and fairness, and the College’s actions could have impacts on any of us if we find ourselves in a similar situation in the future.
The College is paying the union busting law firm, Bond, Schoeneck, and King, out of Syracuse, up to $240,000 a year to fight battles like this against us and to craft schemes to make the lives of our members hard. At the same time, they talk poor and complain of desperate financial crises and ask us to pay an extra $907 for health insurance each year, and they have yet to put any offer of compensation on the negotiation table.
We must stand united against their tactics as the FA works hard for all members and fights for a fair contract in ongoing negotiations and for fair and just treatment for all of our members.
Faculty Association members deserve a fair shake.
Support our Negotiations Team, and be sure to look at the previous two Did You Know emails or see the content on our FA website for ways you can visibly support the Faculty Association through using the FA logo for your Zoom Profile Image, adding the FA slogan to your email signature, and displaying an FA bumper sticker on your office door and window.
10/22/21
Did you know that the Administration is proposing to change the amount we pay for health insurance benefits for active Faculty Association members and for our retirees?
They intend to ask for an increase in the amount each of us pays for our health insurance from 16% to 20% of the total premium and to eliminate the current contract language about retiree health insurance costs, leading to higher expenses for both active and retired members. This amounts to over $900 a year that bargaining unit members and retirees have to pay in order to maintain their health insurance.
SUNY Broome Community College 