Frequently Asked Questions
Pay Increases
Q: When will the increases in faculty salaries for FY08 take affect?
A: The one step increase for returning faculty takes affect as of the fall 2007 semester.
As a returning faculty member, you will receive back pay for 1 step increase in your base pay when the contract is implemented. The tentative contract settlement is implemented after it is ratified by the IFO membership approved by the MnSCU Board of Trustees. The IFO membership ratification vote is on Thursday, February 21 and the MnSCU Board of Trustees is meeting on February 22. Then the contract will go to the legislature for approval. The legislature is in session from February 12 through May 19, though we do not know how long it will be before the legislature will vote on our contract. Once the legislature votes to accept our contract, it will be implemented.
Q: What happens to the career steps for faculty who completed their tenth, twentieth or thirtieth year of service last academic year?
A: If you had completed ten, twenty or thirty years of service last academic year, you will receive your two career steps increase when the contract is implemented (in addition to the one step increase for returning faculty), and you will receive back pay to the beginning of this academic year.
Q: Will adjunct and community faculty who taught Fall 2007 receive the increase of $25 per credit for course taught in fall 2007?
A: Yes, adjunct and community faculty who were paid at the minimum $1100 per credit rate for fall semester will receive back pay at $25 per credit taught for the increase in pay for fall 2007 (and spring 2008), once the contract is ratified and approved by the legislature.
Q: Will new hires in FY09 receive the salary schedule enhancements (2% step enhancement effective July 1, 2008 and another 2% step enhancement effective January 1, 2009)?
A: Yes, faculty who are hired beginning next academic year will realize a 4% increase in base salary by January 2009.
Q: Did the salary for a summer session teaching assignment increase to correspond with the increase in the minimum adjunct rate?
A: The language in Article 13 Section C regarding summer session pay remains the same, so summer pay is 2.25% of base salary but not less than the (new) minimum adjunct rate for the preceding academic year. For the 2008 summer session, the minimum adjunct rate will be $1125 and for the 2009 summer session, the minimum adjunct rate will be $1200.
Sabbaticals
Q: What will happen with regard to the pay for faculty on a full-year sabbatical this academic year (2007-08)?
A: If you are on your first full-year sabbatical this academic year, when the contract in implemented, you will receive back pay for the difference between 67% and 80% of base pay from the beginning of the academic year. If you are on your second full-year sabbatical this academic year, your pay will remain the same at 80% of base pay. If you are on your third full-year sabbatical this academic year, your pay will remain the same at 90% of base pay. Beginning with the 2008-2009 academic year, all full-year sabbaticals will be paid at 80% of base pay.
Q: If you were awarded tenure in the 2006-07 academic year and you will complete one year of service following tenure this academic year (2007-08), will you be eligible to take a mandatory sabbatical in 2009-10?
A: Yes
Q: If your probationary period is less than 5 years and you are awarded tenure (e.g., you are awarded tenure in your third or fourth year of employment), are you still eligible for a mandatory sabbatical following one year of service after tenure?
A: Yes
Early Separation Incentive Payments into HCSP
Q: Why were the Early Separation Incentive Payments put into a post retirement Health Care Savings Plan?
A: There was a Delegate Assembly resolution requesting that the IFO negotiate Early Separation Incentive payments to be made into a tax-free post-retirement Health Care Savings Plan. Because the ESI payment is placed in a tax free account, there is a significant tax savings for retirees. In addition, there was a recent change in the tax code regarding deferred compensation which would have subjected the retiree to tax penalties for receiving deferred payments after retirement. Early Separation Incentive payments that are placed into a Health Care Savings Plan as provided in the new language are not considered deferred compensation subject to penalty.
University Scholars
Q: For the cap on the number of University Scholars, is it 10% of the number of faculty in the department or 10% FTE?
A: It is 10% of the number of faculty (not 10% FTE).
Q: What is the cost for implementing University Scholars; where does the money come from?
A: The amount of money each campus may pay in selecting University Scholars was not included in MnSCU’s calculation of the costs for the new contract. The money will come from internal allocations by the campuses that choose to select university scholars.
Endowed Chairs
Q: Will an endowed chair be a member of our bargaining unit?
A: Yes
Q: Do endowed chairs get to vote in departments?
A: Endowed chair positions are faculty members, so they would be eligible to vote pursuant to the provisions of Article 20 Section A, subd 5.
Nine Month Appointments
Q: Why don’t departments have a say in department member’s schedules for the nine month appointments?
A: Departments will have input because the scheduling of nine month appointments will be pursuant to Article 20, Section A, Subd. 3.
Q: Will faculty on nine month appointments have to work during the semester break?
A: It may be that a faculty member on a nine month appointment has duty days that are scheduled during the semester or other breaks in the academic year.
Q: How will this impact faculty governance and participation in departments on personnel and other matters?
A: The language provides for each university to convene a taskforce in 2008-09 to review and consider the impact of nine month appointments on faculty participation in these areas and in the overall life of the university.
Salary Study
Q: What does it mean that there is a salary equity pool of $1.2 million for equity step adjustments in FY09?
A: The joint IFO MnSCU Salary Review Committee met several times last fall to review the results of the 2005-06 study of salaries of non adjunct faculty. The 2005-06 salary study was conducted by an outside consulting firm, the Sibson consulting firm. The Salary Review Committee (SRC) preliminarily decided to consider a threshold salary level for determining equity step adjustments based on the percent a faculty member’s actual salary is below predicted salary. We estimate that this method of remedy would result in about 400 faculty receiving an equity step adjustment and will cost just over $1 million to implement. In the tentative contract settlement, $1.2 million has been identified for salary equity adjustments in FY09.
Q: What are the next steps for the salary study?
A: The Sibson consulting firm needs to conduct a final analysis for the Salary Review Committee (SRC) to confirm that the remedies being considered by the SRC if implemented would not create salary inequities based on gender or race. Once the Sibson firm provides that analysis, the SRC will meet to finalize the recommendations for salary equity adjustments. Salary equity adjustments will be implemented in the 2008-09 academic year.
Q: When will faculty receive their individual results from the salary study?
A: After the SRC finalizes its recommendations, faculty members will receive individual salary data and details regarding any salary equity adjustments. We expect that the salary data information will be provided to faculty by the end of the academic year, in about May.