This week, the FAMCO bargaining team is pleased to announce that we have come to a tentative agreement with the administration on our platform of non-economic proposals, marking a significant turning point in our nearly four months of negotiations on key issues that we know are important to our membership. As we move closer to negotiations around the squarely economic issues of healthcare and compensation that continue to resonate most deeply with faculty, we are encouraged by this recent positive momentum.

In our work to protect and promote stability, accountability and professional autonomy, we have successfully tentatively agreed to: 

• establish full-time faculty’s right to first refusal in the scheduling of courses in all terms;  

• re-establish the formal labor-management committee to examine fair and effective teaching evaluation tools;  

• ensure faculty’s right to decline eCampus adoption for in-person classes beyond posting syllabi or when choosing to communicate any grading or assignment information electronically;  

• provide greater contractual assurances against the outsourcing of the academic mission through a written declaration of “no intent” to engage in contracts with online program management corporations (OPMs) and requirement to provide notice if otherwise.  

In our work to protect and promote equity and fairness, we have successfully tentatively agreed to: 

• re-establish the formal labor-management committee work to promote equity and diversity in faculty hiring and promotion;  

• ensure appropriate and fair mechanisms for rebuttal for faculty moving through the reappointment, tenure and promotion process; 

• strengthen both parties’ contractual commitments to shared values in ensuring a non-hostile, non-toxic workplace. 

In our work to protect and promote professional respect and livelihoods with dignity for all our members, we have tentatively agreed to:  

• sustain the COVID compassionate review provisions for faculty whose trajectory toward reappointment, tenure and promotion may have been negatively impacted by the pandemic; 

• clarify and strengthen important due process procedures in the formal grievance process;  

• ensure protections for faculty against investigation without notice to the Office of the General Counsel;  

• improve the mechanisms for timely and responsive communication between faculty and the administration through the establishment of a regularly standing labor-management committee. 

Kudos to FAMCO Observers! 

Thank you to the members below who have turned out in person to support us during our sessions! All are welcome to observe the work of bargaining our collective agreement, and your presence matters. See below for how you can join us! 

What’s Next? 

In the days and weeks ahead, we may hear concerns from senior administrators about current enrollment numbers and the potential impact on the university’s financial health. We encourage you to stay closely connected to FAMCO for a full understanding of the fiscal landscape, including the reality that Monmouth University continues to be financially able to support faculty and staff with the compensation increases and healthcare benefits we deserve.  

As we have done with the non-economic proposals, we will be looking to the University to continue our momentum of finding a path forward on the economic issues at stake for our members. 

Do Your Part to Win a Strong Contract!  

A union’s bargaining team at the table is only as strong as the members who are doing their part away from the table to win a fair contract for themselves and their colleagues! Let us know you are willing to do your part in the next round of economic negotiations by reaching out to FAMCO field team coordinator, Sanjana Ragudaran (sragudar@monmouth.edu), or FAMCO lead negotiator, Johanna Foster (jfoster@monmouth.edu).  

Stay tuned for more opportunities for upcoming action trainings this summer and be sure to follow us on Facebook (Monmouth University FAMCO) and on Instagram @ mu_famco. 

Go FAMCO!