After five years of negotiations, UF’s Board of Trustees and the United Faculty of Florida at UF have reached an agreement that will create a transparent set of rights and responsibilities for faculty in the workplace.
Paul Ortiz, associate professor of history at UF and member of the United Faculty of Florida, said the agreement helps resolve ongoing concerns related to teacher salaries and sabbaticals.
Sabbaticals are leaves of absence in which professors teach or conduct research outside of the university.
The agreement also discusses intellectual property rights related to online course materials.
Once the contract related to the agreement is ratified, both the administration and the faculty must honor it, Ortiz said.
John Biro, the president of the United Faculty of Florida at UF, said the contract between UF and the UFF is still being reviewed by both parties.
Biro said the union is pleased with the agreement and that it has been a difficult debate for all parties.
“It’s been good for everybody and very bad for everybody,” he said.
Biro said the union aims to have the agreement ratified by mid-February, and he hopes the Board will ratify around the same time.
Student Government President Jordan Johnson, who is on the Board of the Trustees, said details of the agreement still need to be finalized.
“I would just say that I’m glad that there was an agreement reached,” he said.
The road to agreement has not been easy.
According to Biro, the negotiations have lasted so long not only because of disagreements but also because the decision-making is part of a naturally lengthy process.
"It is a long, complicated agreement — almost 40 articles," he said.
Biro said that in mid-December, a breakdown in negotiations nearly led to an impasse hearing.
In an impasse hearing, a neutral third party, known as a special magistrate, would hear the statements of both sides.
The pressure of an impending hearing forced both parties to reach a tentative agreement and resume negotiations, Biro said.
UF spokesman Steve Orlando said UF is satisfied with the agreement.
"We are very pleased to announce that the University of Florida and the United Faculty of Florida (UFF) have reached an agreement on a new contract, thereby avoiding an impasse hearing," Orlando said.
"We will now move to the next steps in the collective bargaining process, which would include the ratification of the contract terms by the UFF members and the UF Board of Trustees.”
