Inter Faculty Organization

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Faculty Update

_{DECEMBER  2005}

In This Issue:

PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS

by Nancy Black, IFO President  

Best wishes to all during this holiday season!  A gentle reminder that the IFO office will be closed the week of December 26, 2005.

Since the last IFO Update, we have been making progress on several important issues: 

Contract Ratification
On November 16^th the IFO membership ratified the IFO/MnSCU 2005-07 collective bargaining agreement by an overwhelming 1056-65 vote (94.2%) vote.  On December 7^th the MnSCU Board of Trustees approved the contract by a unanimous vote.  We have signed the contract, and it is being sent it to the Legislative Subcommittee on Employee Relations, which has the authority to put the contract into effect.  For more information on this issue, click HERE.

This is one of the earliest contract settlements in recent memory.   I want to again thank the IFO Negotiations Committee, and Rod Henry, our Chief Negotiator, for their countless hours of work on behalf of the IFO membership. 

Retirement Plan Vendor Selection
We have received tons of e-mail from the IFO membership regarding the MnSCU plan to reorganize the IRAP, Supplemental Retirement, and TSA plans.   Faculty made it overwhelmingly clear that they highly value access to the present array of TIAA-CREF and State Board of Investment funds, and they don’t want MnSCU limiting that access or taking it away.   The IFO Board took strong positions in favor of keeping the TIAA-CREF and SBI funds—particularly the TIAA Traditional Annuity, Social Choice Fund, Real Estate Fund, and the Inflation Linked Bond Funds.   The IFO representatives on the DCR Advisory Committee got the other unions and employee groups to support IFO positions on this matter and the DCR Advisory Committee recommended to MnSCU that they keep the TIAA-CREF and SBI funds.   The IFO Executive Committee brought the issue directly to the Chancellor at the November 18, 2005 statewide Meet and Confer (we presented the Chancellor with a stack of faculty e-mails on the subject).   In the near future, MnSCU will be choosing a single record keeper for the retirement plans.   Shortly thereafter, the SBI will choose the funds that will be offered under the program.   We have made faculty concerns heard loud and clear.   Now we will see if anyone was listening.  We will keep faculty fully informed. 

HRA Balances
As we reach the end of the first year of operation for the MnSCU Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) program, we have had numerous questions on how year-end balances in member accounts will be treated.   This is understandable, because this is a new program, and several changes have been made since the plan was first proposed.  We want to make sure faculty are aware of how the year-end balances will be handled, and what options are available to faculty.   For more information on this, please see Russ Stanton’s article by clicking HERE. 

2006 IFO Delegate Assembly
It is hard to believe it is this time already, but we have started preparations for the 2006 IFO Delegate Assembly.   The Delegate Assembly will be held March 24-25, 2006, at the Radisson hotel in Roseville.   I would urge any faculty member who is interested in participating in the IFO to get involved and become a delegate.   I would urge younger faculty in particular to get involved—we not only want to hear your views, we want to develop future leadership for the organization.   For information on the Delegate Assembly, and how to become a delegate, see Cindy Finch’s article by clicking HERE. 

Feminist Issues Grant
Finally, I would urge all faculty who are interested in a Feminist Issues Grant to read the article by Pat Arseneault, IFO Equity Advocate, by clicking HERE. 

In closing, I would urge members to regularly check out the IFO web page at www.ifo.org for the latest news on IFO matters.
 

IFO Contract Passed by IFO/MnSCU Trustees

by Russ Stanton, Director of Government Relations 

On November 16^th the IFO membership voted to ratify the tentative 2005-07 IFO/MnSCU Agreement by a vote of 1056 (94.2%) in favor of acceptance to 65 (5.8%) for rejection.   All campuses voted to accept the contract by a wide margin.   

Here are the vote totals by campus:

From what we could find in IFO records, this was the second largest voter turnout for a contract ratification vote, and the second largest percentage of approval.

On Wednesday, December 7^th, the MnSCU Trustees voted to approve the contract.   There was little discussion and the vote was unanimous. 

The agreement now goes to a legislative committee called the Legislative Subcommittee on Employee Relations.   If the committee does not reject the contract within 30 days of receiving it, it will go into effect pending ratification by the entire legislature next session.   We expect the Subcommittee on Employee Relations to meet in early January.  We do not expect problems with approval. 

Rod Henry, Chief Negotiator and Nancy Black, President

At this point, it looks like faculty should start seeing the pay raises (and back-pay) in their paychecks sometime in late January or early February depending on the meeting date of the subcommittee.
 

How to Handle your Health Reimbursement Account Year End Balance

by Russ Stanton, IFO Director of Government Relations

Recently, several faculty members reported that their pay stubs indicated a $500 contribution to their HRA.  I am not sure why MnSCU showed this money on the pay stubs at this time, but please note this money is not available for faculty to make claims against until January 1, 2006.   The newly negotiated contract will raise the amount that will be contributed to the HRA in calendar year 2006 to $600, but this extra $100 will not show on the pay stubs, or be available for claims, until the new contract is in effect. 

There has been a lot of confusion over how the end of the year balances in the HRA will be handled.   This is understandable, because it is a complex system, and the plan has changed since it was first envisioned and proposed.  According to MnSCU, the end of the year balances will be handled as follows: 

• If on 12/31/05 you have an unused balance of less than $500 in your HRA account, the balance in your account will roll forward and on 1/1/06 you will have another $500 (plus another $100 once the contract is in effect) added to your HRA account.   For example:  If you had $499 in your HRA account on 12/31/05, then another $500 will be added to your account on 1/1/06 (plus $100 once the new contract is in effect), meaning that for calendar year 2006 you will have $1099 in your HRA account for reimbursement of eligible medical expenses.

• If on 12/31/05 you have an unused balance $500 or more in you HRA account, then the balance in your HRA account will roll forward and be available for paying health care expenses in the 2006 calendar year.  However, on January 1, 2006 the employer will deposit another $500 (plus $100 once the contract goes into effect) into a Health Care Savings Plan (HCSP) account for you.   The HCSP is a tax-free account for paying for health care expenses after an employee retires or otherwise terminates.   Money in the HCSP is invested by participants and earns interest (also tax-free) until it is paid out for health care expenses incurred after separation from service. 

For a flowchart on how the year-end balances will be handled, visit the MnSCU web page at: http://www.hr.mnscu.edu/benefits/hraFlowChart.pdf.  You can call the Eide Bailly (administrators of the plan) call center at 1-800-300-1672 (in the Metro area, call 952-944-6633). 

How you should handle your HRA account depends on what you want to achieve: 

• If you have $500 or more in your HRA account now, and you want the contributions for 2006 to go into your HCSP account and earn interest—then make sure you leave at least $500 in your account on 12/31/05.

• However, if you have $500 or more in your HRA account now, and you want the contributions for 2006 to go into your HRA account for paying medical expenses next year, you must submit claims, if you have any, as soon as you can so you pull the balance of your HRA account below $500 before 12/31/05.  For a description of eligible expenses, click here: https://www.eidebailly.com/services/benefits/documents/2005%20HRA%20Worksheet.PDF

If you have questions about the HRA, HCSP or the Flexible Spending Account (FSA), e-mail them to me at stanton@ifo.org.   I am working with MnSCU on developing a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) publication that we can publish on the MnSCU web page.
 

Important Retirement Notification Dates Approaching

by Russ Stanton, IFO Director of Government Relations 

The IFO/MnSCU collective bargaining agreement contains numerous benefits that require notification of intent to retire.   Among these benefits are the final year two step promotion and the early separation incentive (of up to a year of salary and a year of health care premium).   The deadlines for giving the required notice of intent to retire are October 1^st (for retirements effective at the end of the academic year, or January 15^th, for retirements effective at the end of the following fall semester). 

If you plan to retire at the end of fall semester next year, you must give your notice of intent to retire by January 15, 2006 in order to be eligible for the above described benefits. 

If you want to go into the phased retirement or annuitant employment programs starting the end of fall semester next year you must apply for these programs by January 15, 2006. 

A summary of retirement related benefits, and form letters for giving notice, are available on the IFO retirement web page.   If you have retirement questions, you can call Russ Stanton at 1-800-325-9644, ext. 14 or 651-227-8442 ext. 14.

Feminist Issues Grant announcement

The IFO Feminist Issues Committee would like to remind IFO members that the January 23, 2006 application deadline for the Feminist Issues Grant is fast approaching. The Feminist Issues Grant is a $3,000 award for a proposal for research, a project, or a creative work that contributes to the advancement of women in the IFO and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU). The Feminist Issues Grant process provides an excellent opportunity for new faculty members to obtain grant money. See the Grant Application Announcement and Outline for more details.  

WHO:                       IFO Members, Single or Co-applicants
First time grant writers (strongly encouraged to apply) 

WHAT:                    2 to 3 page proposal including the project title, statement of purpose describing the goals of the activity, the means for achieving the goal(s) including a project timeline covering the grant period, and a description of how the applicants intend to share results; previous experiences and/or efforts on behalf of feminist issues; Cover Page to be removed for blind review with name, University, department or position, telephone number and the Title of the proposal.  

WHEN:                    Submit your application to Pat Arseneault at the IFO by mail, email (arsen@ifo.org), or by fax (651-227-0505) by January 23, 2006.  

                        Successful Grant recipient(s) will be notified by April 28, 2006. 

                    Grant money will be provided directly to the recipient, payable shortly after May 1, 2006. The successful recipient may use the grant money for stipends, clerical help, travel, supplies, or other proposed project expenses.  

                        The grant period extends from May 2006 to March 2008.                 

CRITERIA:              The Feminist Issues Committee will conduct a blind review of proposals based on the relevance of the project or activity to women in the IFO or MnSCU at large; overall clarity and feasibility of proposal; appropriateness of means, timeline, and planned expenses; the plan for sharing project or activity results with a significant portion of MnSCU/IFO members; and the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to feminist issues. 

FINAL REPORT:    Grant recipient(s) will be required to submit a one to two page final report that includes an expense log, upon completion of the project.  

Past recipients’ projects include a Survey on faculty attitudes about the promotion and tenure process as it affects women faculty; a Workshop on educating faculty women about the union and the advantages of membership; and a Faculty Learning Community through the MSUM Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning on “Talking about Teaching and Feminist Issues.” 

For more information on grant proposals or past grant projects, please contact Patrice Arseneault at the IFO.
 

2006 DELEGATE ASSEMBLY

by Cindy Finch, IFO Administrative Assistant

The IFO Delegate Assembly will meet on March 24-25, 2006 in Roseville at the Radisson hotel.  As the supreme governing body of the Inter Faculty Organization, the 197 delegates will set IFO policies, dues and budgets for the succeeding two fiscal years as well as deliberate over resolutions dealing with negotiations and legislative goals. Delegates attending the assembly are contractually released from duty for Friday, March 24.  Advise your Faculty Association President if you wish to become a delegate before February 3, 2006, by submitting this registration form.  Click HERE for a tentative agenda.

Any faculty member may propose a new resolution for consideration at the delegate assembly, provided it is signed by the proposer and a seconder, each of whom must be an IFO member.  Such resolutions are to be submitted to your campus Faculty Association.  Please check with your local Faculty Association for their resolution submission deadline.  Resolutions not submitted through this process may be introduced at the Delegate Assembly, but only with a majority of delegates voting to consider it and it will require a two-thirds majority to pass.  Faculty, please submit your resolutions to your local Faculty Association President.  Electronic format is greatly appreciated!   Continuing Resolutions will be available for viewing on our website very soon.

Please contact your Faculty Association President or Cindy Finch if you have questions at finch@ifo.org or 800/325-9644 or 651/227-8442 x10. 
 

CONTACT US

The IFO Faculty Update is published and distributed by the Inter Faculty Organization.  If you need to contact the Inter Faculty Organization, our address is 165 Western Avenue North, Suite 8, Saint Paul, MN 55102, or you can reach us by phone at 800/325-9644 or 651/227-8442.  You can send us an email by clicking here.