Summary of changes in the 2020–2027 Agreement
Not a part of the Agreement but codified in a legally binding contract, the University will not file a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to remove full-time faculty from the unit on the basis of the Supreme Court’s ruling in “Yeshiva” for 10 years, nor will it file to remove the head coaches and trainer from the unit on the basis that they are statutory supervisors for five years.”
ARTICLE I, Recognition of Unit
Stays as is except coaches of Women’s and Men’s basketball will no longer be members of the unit. They will have their terms and conditions of employment protected for three years or until they enter into individual employment contracts with the University.
ARTICLE II, Non-Discrimination and Affirmative Action
This Article will be renamed “Anti-Discrimination, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The list of items which cannot be the basis for discrimination will be expanded to include people with disabilities, genetic information including family medical history, and gender identity.
The AAUP will appoint the bargaining unit members to the committee on Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion. The committee will be chaired by the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Explicit language will be added to protect against retaliation for filing a charge of discrimination or being involved in otherwise legal behavior in opposition to discrimination.
The language of the Agreement will be modified to use the pronouns “they/them” instead of “he/she.”
ARTICLE III, Conflict of Interest--No change.
ARTICLE IV, Academic Freedom--No change
ARTICLE V, Association Privileges--Small technical changes
ARTICLE VI, Definition of Ranks
Lecturers—After a 6-year probationary period, Lecturers can be renewed under the following conditions:
- Go through a full review using the P&T procedures and committee.
- Reviewed on the basis of Teaching and Value, but not Research.
- If approved by the committee, Lecturers would gain a continuing expectation of employment, with loss of employment only for
- Cause, where the University would carry the burden, or
- No available courses for them to teach in the following academic year. or
- Carrying below half a normal load for two years in a row, or
- Reduction In Force through the layoff article.
- If the P&T committee does not recommend continuing status, they would be given a terminal contract for the following academic year.
- A system of lecturer academic ranks would include the following: Lecturer (on hire), Assistant Professor-Lecturer (after 3 years, if renewed), and Associate Professor-Lecturer (after 6 years and positive review through the P&T process).
ARTICLE VII, Appointments
Departments may request an additional line when they are aware of a potential candidate that would improve the faculty. If the request is approved, the hiring process would move to the interview stage. The rest of the process would remain as in the present Agreement.
Departments will consider the benefits of improving the representation of underrepresented groups within the applicant pool when developing the qualifications for a new position.
When conducting a search, the University and the department shall make a good faith effort to create a diverse applicant pool.
Departments will consider the candidate’s potential contributions to diversity along with the candidate’s other credentials and experience when developing their interview pool and when ranking the candidates.
Authorization for hiring will remain in place for two years, but if a search fails to identify an acceptable candidate, the position must be reauthorized by the Provost for the search to continue.
No more than 25% of the full-time faculty may be lecturers, and in departments of 8 or fewer, no more than 2 may be lecturers, and in departments of 9 or more no more than 3 may be lecturers.
ARTICLE VIII, Promotion and Tenure
The Promotion and Tenure process will remain as in the present Agreement for this Academic year. As of the 2023–24 year the committees will be realigned to reflect changes in the University structure. In addition, the President will no longer be a member of promotion and Tenure committees and their place will be taken by the Associate Provost. The President will be able to submit an independent review of the candidate to the Board of Trustees as is the right of anyone serving on a Promotion and Tenure committee. The rules governing that review will remain as in the present agreement.
Contributions relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion will be added to the list of examples of what constitutes value activities.
Scholarship that focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion may be considered even if it is not directly in the candidate’s home discipline.
Candidates must present letters of recommendation on their scholarship from outside of the University.
Lecturers will be reviewed for promotion to Associate Professor Lecturer with Continuing Status only on the basis of their teaching and value. They must have an appropriate degree above the baccalaureate.
ARTICLE IX, Discipline--Unchanged
ARTICLE X, Annual Reappointment and Non-Reappointment of Non-Tenured Bargaining Unit Members--Unchanged
ARTICLE XI, Academic Departments
The decision by the Provost to alter the structure of a department, either by merger or division, shall not be arbitrary or capricious.
ARTICLE XII, Programs--No change
ARTICLE XIII, Academic Governance
There will be no change for the present academic year. Next year the committees will be arranged to align with the changes in the structure of Colleges and Schools.
The CECAPC (the replacement for the CCSAPC) will cease to exist. A bargaining unit member will be elected by the bargaining unit faculty to the UAPC to represent the Continuing Education programs.
The size of the UAPC will be reduced and the membership of all APCs will be altered so that the administration will have one more member than the faculty on each committee. As is presently the case, it will take a supermajority (50% plus 1) to pass academic policy.
ARTICLE XIV, Personnel Files--No change
ARTICLE XV, Lay-Off`--No change in process, the list of multidisciplinary departments still needs to be updated.
ARTICLE XVI, Professional Athletic Staff
Professional Athletic staff hired after September 1, 2022, will only be able to apply for Athletic III if they are head coaches at the time of the application for the promotion.
ARTICLE XVII, Adjunct Bargaining Unit Members--No change and the moratorium on priority adjunct applications continues.
ARTICLE XVIII, Evaluation--No change
ARTICLE XIX, Past Practices--No change
ARTICLE XX, Management Rights--No change
ARTICLE XXI, Agency Rights--No change
ARTICLE XXII, Grievance and Arbitration Procedure
The AAUP will have access to all information necessary to carry out its role that is in the possession of the administration, including that held by third-party contractors hired by the administration to carry out investigations. The administration may make claims that it cannot turn over certain material because of the need to maintain confidentiality. Such claims are arbitrable.
ARTICLE XXIII, No Strike; No Lockout--No change
ARTICLE XXIV, General Work Conditions
The ratio of secretarial support to faculty will be 1 to 20. The language mandating that the level of secretarial support will remain at the same level as in 2001–2002 will be dropped.
There will be a goal of replacing bargaining-unit computers on a four-year schedule, and no bargaining-unit member will have a computer older than five years.
ARTICLE XXV, University Responsibility for Legal Demands on Bargaining Unit Members--No change
ARTICLE XXVI, Open Classroom
Visits to a faculty classroom will be limited to no more than two observers at one time and no more often than once every two weeks.
ARTICLE XXVII, Teaching Workload--No change
ARTICLE XXVIII, Library Faculty Workload
No change other than librarians may be scheduled to work at home through the normal librarian workload process.
ARTICLE XXIX, Value Responsibilities--No change
ARTICLE XXX, Outside Employment--No change
ARTICLE XXXI, Bargaining Unit Development
- Four years between receiving leaves.
- 11 research leaves and 3 developmental leaves per year
- Summer Fellowships, 19 in first year divided 16/3; 22 in the second year divided 19/3; and 26 in years 3–5 divided 23/3. The stipend will be $5450 and will increase as per the across-the-board raise.
- Travel reimbursement capped at $175K per year and $1675 per individual.
- Reimbursement fund increased to $50K per year.
ARTICLE XXXII, Intellectual Property and Distance Learning--No change
ARTICLE XXXIII, Sick Leave--No change
ARTICLE XXXIV, Compensation and Employee Benefits
Across the Board increases per year over the five years for all bargaining unit employees will be
0%, 0%, .25%, 2%, 2%
Minimum salaries for full-time tenure track faculty already include the $3,000 (or 3%) increase received last year, and in addition, the minimums will increase by the across-the-board percentages in each year of the Agreement.
For tenure track faculty hired after September 1, 2022, there will be no minimum for the rank of Assistant Professor II.
Minimum salaries for lecturers will be by rank.
Lecturer - $68,200
Assistant Professor-Lecturer - $74,000
Associate Professor- Lecturer - $84,000
Adjunct minimum per course will be by rank.
Adjunct Instructor - $4,120
Adjunct Assistant Professor - $4,995
Adjunct Associate Professor - $5,415
Adjunct Professor - $5,815
Overload rates will be reduced by 20%.
Health insurance plan designs will remain unchanged.
Premiums for individual coverage will increase to 3.5% for the 100/80 plan, 3% for the 90/70 and High Deductible plan.
Dependent coverage premiums will be calculated as in the present plan but maximum cost for the 90/70 and High Deductible plans will be capped at 18% of base salary.
Enrollment in the 100/80 plan will be open only to those already enrolled in it.
There will be no payment for those who opt to waive health insurance through Rider.
University Contributions to TIAA-CREF each year of the five years of the Agreement will be
5%, 5%, 5.25%, 5.5%, 6%.
Tuition Remission will remain the same for all present members of the bargaining unit. Members hired after September 1, 2022, will be eligible for the benefit after achieving tenure for tenure-track faculty, continuing status for lecturers, and 6 years for athletic staff.
In addition to the tuition remission, the University’s tuition exchange program will be available to full-time bargaining unit members.
Priority Adjuncts will have access to the same benefits they do in the present Agreement.
ARTICLE XXXV, Salary Adjustment--No change
ARTICLE XXXVI, Voluntary Separation
There will be a buyout provision open to all full-time members and priority adjuncts who will be at least 60 with 10 years of service by the point at which they separate from Rider.
Those between age 60 and 65 will have to waive health insurance through Rider. The decision to take the buyout must be made by December 31, 2022, and it is binding. Employment can conclude at either at the end of the AY2023 or AY2024. The payout will be equal to the full-time faculty member’s base salary in their last year of employment and 100% of the priority adjunct’s pay in their last year of employment. The buyout would be paid out over three years.
There will be a phase-out provision as well with the same eligibility conditions as the buyout except it is not available to athletic staff. The administration must be notified by December 31, 2022, of your decision to utilize this option. Those who choose this option will work a 50% workload and receive 66% of their normal salary. The phase-out period may be either one year or two years. The date of separation from the University would be the end of the 2023–24 academic year or the 2024–25 academic year depending on whether or not one chose the one-year or the two-year phase out.
ARTICLE XXXVII, Transfer of Faculty--No change
ARTICLE XXXVIII, Separability--No change
ARTICLE XXXIX, Length of Contract: Future Negotiations
Five-year Agreement
ARTICLE XL, Enforceability--No change