Vermont Business Magazine Goddard College faculty and staff have voted overwhelmingly in favor of the terms of new, three-year union contracts. The ratification ends 27 months of negotiations between the College and bargaining units.The United Auto Workers, Local 2322, represents approximately 90 Goddard College faculty members and 45 college staff members.The new union agreements preserve the current health and dental benefits with no increases in premium share; increases the minimum wage at Goddard College from $9.15 to $11 per hour, with subsequent increase to $12 per hour beginning July 2016; and eliminates the need for faculty and unionized staff salary pay cuts.
In addition, non-unionized College administrators who had taken 5% to 10% salary reductions in 2013 will have their salaries restored to pre-reduction levels; the College will suspend the retirement match plan for a period of 18 months but will revisit compensation possibilities at the end of that time; and the College’s grant-funded and seasonal workers gained some job protections and were made eligible for compensated sick time.
“This is a contract that management and labor worked very hard to craft together,” said Goddard College President Robert Kenny. “The process involved a significant commitment from both sides to reach this agreement, which is premised on what Goddard College staff and the administration need to do to support a positive working environment. By joining together as a union, Goddard staff was able to secure a first contract that gives them more tools to better do their jobs, greater input so they can advocate for their profession, and solid economic gains that recognize the work they do,” he said.
The Goddard faculty voted to form a union in November of 1998, and did so with the support of the institution’s Board of Trustees. In keeping with the College’s long-standing commitment to democratic principles, the Board waived its right to legally challenge the collective-bargaining effort.
The Goddard staff voted to join the union in January of 2013 as the institution saw declines in enrollment and faced the specter of staff salary reductions and other austerity measures to reconcile projected budget deficits.
For more details on the tentative agreements, visitwww.goddard.edu/union.
About Goddard College Goddard College was initially founded in 1863 as the Goddard Seminary in Barre, Vt. The College moved to its current Plainfield campus and was chartered in 1938 by founding President Royce “Tim” Pitkin. In 1963, Goddard became the first U.S. college to offer low-residency adult degree programs, and now offers accredited MA, MFA, BA, and BFA degree programs from Plainfield and sites in Seattle and Port Townsend, Wash. Goddard’s intensive, low-residency, student-centered model offers the best of on-campus and distance learning, with experienced faculty advisers, rigorous campus residencies, and the freedom to study from anywhere. More at goddard.edu.
Source:Goddard College 7.13.2015