On behalf of the IFO Negotiations Team, I am excited to announce that after 8 months of intense negotiations we have reached a tentative settlement for the 2017-2019 IFO/MinnState contract. The settlement provides all faculty a pay increase in both years, earlier career steps, health and dental plan improvements, and increased funding for professional development. We are pleased to have achieved improvements for our colleagues with contingent appointments.
The timeline for a vote on the contract will be finalized in the coming weeks. As a reminder, only IFO members can vote on contract ratification. If you are not a member, you may join here. If you are unsure of your membership status please click here.
Contract Settlement Highlights:
Salary Increases
- 1.6 % increase in FY18
- 2.4% increase in FY19
Career Step Enhancements
- Career Steps will be accelerated FY19 for faculty who complete 17 years of service instead of 20 years, and after 25 years of service instead of after 30 years.
19A and 19B Professional Development Fund Increases in FY19
- $120,000 increase for 19A Professional Improvement Funds (PIF)
- $70 increase per FTE for 19B Professional Study and Travel Funds (PST). The increase brings the total per faculty from $1380 to $1450.
- $59,500 to create a professional development fund for faculty with adjunct appointments at six State universities (not including Metro State).
- $20,000 increase in the Metro State Community Faculty professional development fund.
Faculty with Contingent Appointments Workload Limits
- Increases the cap for adjunct and community faculty appointments from 10 credits per academic year to 12 credits which will provide eligibility for state health insurance benefits
Increased the minimum salary placement for Instructors from step 5 to step 6.
Improvements in terms of initial appointments and salary supplement for Coaches.
Also included in the settlement are the health and dental benefit improvements that were previously agreed to through the Joint Labor Management Coalition on Health Insurance. Please click here for more information on the health and dental enhancements.
For additional information please visit our contract settlement web page. There are additional language changes included in the settlement that will be shared in greater detail in the coming weeks.
Despite multiple proposals from the System Office to exclude faculty with adjunct and community faculty appointments from pay increases in this contract, all faculty will see their pay increased in both years of the contract. The IFO team held firm in its belief that all faculty deserve pay raises.
We recognize our responsibilities to each other, and we believe this agreement ensures that no one is left out nor behind. Your negotiations team was able to thwart numerous management proposals to erode favorable working conditions, including a move to reduce contractual protections for coaches, and to arrive at a settlement that helps all faculty. Please thank your campus negotiator for their tireless effort and strong advocacy!