Link to an information session about precautions for opening Roosevelt in the fall. 

 

We strive to keep our membership and the wider university community informed about what measures the university is taking to open the university safely this fall.

If you were unable to attend the most recent information session, please use this link for a recording of the session.

RAFO will continue to post additional updates, so that we can best ensure one another's safety. 

We are all in this together. 

 

 

The RAFO Front Table Team continues negotiations with the University for a 2021-2024 contract. The negotiations began at the end of April, and we have had nine bargaining sessions with the University. While not complete, we have made steady progress, and we believe we are close to finalizing a proposed contract for our membership.  No surprise - the biggest stumbling block has been money.

One of the key elements is the first year of the contract. The University has been adamant on a 0% increase for the 2020/2021 academic year, and the RAFO team has been similarly insistent that this is unacceptable. One of the University’s reasons for the 0% is the current climate. With the COVID-19 lockdown, and all of the ensuing actions the University has had to take, we do not think the University will move from the 0%. With that in mind, the Front Table Team might accept the 0% in the first year if the University agrees to what we are asking for in the subsequent years. While we are not at liberty to state where we want to land, rest assured we are working as diligently as possible for a fair and equitable contract.

In solidarity,

Your RAFO Front Table Team

Donald Wlodarski, Joseph Fedorko, Stanford Traywick, Amelia Hicks, Mike Pinsof, Dennis Tucker and Jen Wilson

 

Now that our Spring sessions are over, it is time for us as instructors to think about how COVID has already affected how we teach - and how such factors as social distancing and 'dual modality' course designs will affect us for at least the Fall semester.  

Join RAFO and your fellow teachers for a discussion about the nuts and bolts of teaching this Fall. While this talk can inform RAFO in our ongoing contract negotiations, our primary goal is to help you prepare for the Fall with practical ideas, as well as give all of us some much-needed perspective on how COVID has affected everyone.

 

Topic: RAFO Members Chat - COVID and the Classroom
Time: Jun 5, 2020 04:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
 
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Meeting ID: 966 6266 6781
 
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Please join Don Wlodarski and the Front Table Team as they discuss the progress and difficulties of the contract negotiations between the union and Roosevelt University. Don will speak of the top items on our contract agenda and take questions about the next steps in our process. 
 
RAFO continues to fight for additional compensation for the adjunct faculty who transitioned from face-to-face courses to online formats due to the COVID-19 crisis. Joseph Fedorko will provide a brief summary of RAFO's efforts and a few examples of what other universities are doing for their adjunct faculty. 
 
We hope to speak with you and answers your questions.
 
 
Topic: RAFO Contract Negotiation Update
Time: May 29, 2020 04:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
 
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Meeting ID: 997 6902 0881
 
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Roosevelt University President Malekzadeh has announced some policy changes in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Click here for his message to the university.

Some key elements of the message include:

  • All universities and higher education institutions have been impacted by Covid-19, including RU
  • Roosevelt University must address the $4.7 million deficit
  • Roosevelt University hopes to have a balanced budget in fiscal year 2021

In order to accomplish the above, the President Ali has announced the following decisions:

  • A small percentage of full-time staff and administration positions have been eliminated
  • Deans have been asked to cut 10% from their operating budgets
  • A vast majority of employees will be furloughed 2-4 days per month through August 31
  • Executive Council and Dean’s Council will experience a 5% decrease in salary through August 31

  1. RAFO Zoom Meeting on Senate and College Council Positions
  2. RAFO Open Forum on President's Address and Contract
  3. RAFO Open Forum on President's Address and Contract
  4. Update on RAFO Contract Negotiations with Roosevelt University

Subcategories

Contracts

RAFO Members:

As lead negotiator for the 2020-2024 contract, I am pleased to announce that your negotiating team and Roosevelt University have come to an agreement. RAFO is extremely pleased with the final outcome and we believe you will be, too. The University was adamant on 0% for the first year, but as an offset for that 0%, we negotiated a signing bonus of $150 for each bargaining unit member that taught either in Spring 2020 or will teach in the upcoming Fall 2020 semester. That then takes us into the final three years of the contract where adjuncts will receive a 2% increase for each of those years.

As I hope you can see from the above, RAFO worked hard to ensure that you are rewarded for the professionalism and integrity all have shown during these unusual and trying times. We are attaching a copy of the final contract for you to review and eventually ratify. The areas that appear in green are changes that were made to the verbiage in the contract that will support RAFO during the upcoming 4 years.  Appendix A reflects the 2% increase for each step in the final three years.

A link with the time will be sent next week for all to join this a zoom meeting, where we can answer your questions about the contract.

In closing, we hope you will be as excited as we are regarding the new contract.

In solidarity,

Don Wlodarski and the RAFO team:

Jen Wilson, Joseph Fedorko, Amelia Hicks, Stan Traywick, Mike Pinsoff and Dennis Tucker