University of Massachusetts Boston
Faculty Staff Union, Inc.
University of Massachusetts Boston
Non Tenure Track Faculty (Lecturers): Qualifying for the Main Unit, Benefits, Salary Floors, etc.
Qualifying for the main or “day” unit
All Lecturers who teach “day” courses on a per-course basis are immediately included in the FSU bargaining unit when hired, are thus covered by the contract, and are eligible for negotiated raises.
Probationary Period and Benefits
Newly hired per-course Lecturers are probationary, both in terms of salary and priority assignment.
The probationary period for salary lasts until the sooner of: having taught 5 courses over 3 semesters or 8 courses total, including Continuing Ed Fall and Spring courses but not including Summer and Winter session CE courses. Or, if a per-course Lecturer has taught at least 1 course a year (excluding Summer and Winter CE courses) for four years, then their salary will be at least that of the post-probationary per course salary rate. (See below under salary minimums.)
During the probationary period, day unit per-course Lecturers are not on the priority list for course assignment, and assignment is not guaranteed. At the end of the probationary period, day unit Lecturers who have been reviewed favorably by their departments or who have not been given a review, will be placed on their department’s priority list (this is not a course guarantee; it orders the course assignments to Lecturers and gives them preference over those Lecturers who are not on the list). Courses taught in other departments and courses taught in Continuing Education do not count towards placement on a Lecturer's departmental course prioritization list. Note: previously, the probationary period for priority assignment was the same as for probationary salary, i.e., 5/3 or 8 total. As of September 2007, while the probationary period for salary remains the same, the probationary period for priority assignment lasts a minimum of four years, viz., until a per-course Lecturers has taught at least 1 course a year (excluding Summer and Winter CE courses) for four years. (So per-course Lecturers may potentially qualify for the post-probationary salary rate while still remaining probationary in terms of course assignment (=not on the department priority list)).
In order to qualify for health benefits, Lecturers who have completed the probationary period must then teach at least two Fall/Spring courses (including F/S Continuing Ed sections) a term for two consecutive terms (either F/S or S/F) before they are eligible. Benefit eligibility begins at the start of the semester following the specified two-term period. Lecturers are then categorized as “Lecturer I”.
In order to maintain benefits, Lecturers must continue to teach at least 2 courses (including F/S Continuing Ed sections) each F/S term. A benefited Lecturer who is assigned to a less than half-time appointment and subsequently loses benefits will become eligible for benefits again immediately upon resumption of a minimum two-course appointment.
Lecturers who are hired on an annual or multi-year basis, and who are appointed half-time or greater, are immediately eligible for benefits and are also categorized as “Lecturer I”.
Note: Summer and Winter intersession Continuing Ed courses do NOT count for qualifying for benefits or for maintaining benefits. Also, it is not sufficient to teach three courses one semester and one the next: the GIC (the Commonwealth’s insurance commission) requires that benefited employees be employed at least half-time for the whole year.
Salary Minimums
The new per-course minimum for probationary Lecturers has been increased to $3600, retroactive to September 2007.
Once a per-course Lecturer completes the probationary salary period, they will be raised to a new, per-course salary minimum of $4,411 effective 7/1/2007.
Benefited Lecturer I’s and Lecturer I’s who are hired on an annual or multi-year basis will be paid according to an annualized salary floor of $43,425 effective 7/1/07. Such Lecturers are expected to perform some additional specified duties for the department beyond their regular teaching duties. Increases or reductions in teaching time (i.e., going from one course to two, or two to one) do not raise or reduce a Lecturer’s full-time equivalent salary. Rather, they are paid a correspondingly larger or smaller percentage of that rate. For example, a Lecturer who teaches two courses a term at an annual full-time equivalent salary of $40,000 will receive $10,000 per semester; if they teach 3 courses they will receive $15,000 for that term; if they teach only one course they will receive $5,000 for that term.
Lecturer I’s with at least six years of service after hire will be given the title Lecturer II and will be paid according to a new annual salary minimum of $50,590 (pro-rated to percentage of time) effective 7/1/2007.
After 10 years of service from hire date*, a Lecturer II will receive a $5000 increase in their salary, pro-rated to percentage of time. This includes the entire “backlog” of members with 10 or more years for service who had not been given the Senior Lecturer promotion because of the previous limitation to 12 per year. It does not include those faculty members who have already received the increase because they were promoted to Senior Lecturer during the last contract. Going forward, all Lecturer IIs will now receive this increase automatically at their 10th year from hire semester.
*‘Hire date’ refers to date of hire for bargaining unit work (i.e., non- CE courses) even if the faculty member was not in bargaining unit at the time.
The Senior Lecturer promotion now involves a multi-year contract (as described below) rather than a salary increase.
The following only applies to those who have qualified for the ten year increase (see above):
N.B.: All of the contracts described below guarantee at least two courses per semester for each of the two terms of each year of the contract, and allow for 3rd and 4th courses if available, as determined by the departmental priority list system.
Seniority ranking is university wide and is determined by initial hire date for main unit (non-CE) courses.
The 24 current Senior Lecturers (i.e., those promoted to this rank during the 2004-2007 contract) will receive 3 year contracts, retroactive to September 2007.
The next 18 Lecturers in the seniority ranking (i.e., those after the 24 current Senior Lecturers) will be promoted to Senior Lecturer and will receive 3 year contracts, retroactive to September 2007.
The next 18 Lecturers in the seniority ranking (i.e., those after the 42 described above) will be promoted to Senior Lecturer and will receive 2 year contracts, beginning September 2008.
The next 18 Lecturers in the seniority ranking (i.e., those after the 60 described above) will be promoted to Senior Lecturer and will receive 2 year contracts, beginning September 2009.
All of these multi-year contracts are renewable (after they expire) by Department Personnel Committees, which may recommend either a one, two or three year contract depending on projected departmental needs.
Beginning with those who qualify for Senior Lecturer on September 2010, all such candidates will be reviewed in the year prior to their qualifying date. (See the contract for details of the review process.) If they pass the review they will be given a one, two or three year contract depending on projected departmental needs. (The Dean may limit a contract to one year if, as a result of either specific tenure stream hiring plans or declining enrollments, it is projected that there will not be enough available sections to fulfill the contract.)
Note: The following applies to all faculty, both non-tenure track and tenure system.
Continuing Ed courses are paid at a separate Continuing Ed salary rate regardless of which bargaining unit the instructor is in. The Continuing Ed salary minimum is $3,959 per course effective 7/1/2007.
Any faculty member who has taught 24 or more Continuing Ed courses will receive a longevity increase of $150 per course.
After teaching eight Continuing Ed courses, faculty members are automatically shifted into the day unit and are covered by the day unit contract.
Note that when a benefited, day unit Lecturer teaches a Continuing Ed course it will be paid according to the Lecturer’s main unit rate. For instance, if a benefited Lecturer teaches one day course and 2 CE courses they are paid at 75% of their main unit salary rate, the same as if they were teaching 3 day courses. However, if a day unit Lecturer teaches only one course in a semester and that course is in Continuing Ed, it will be paid according to the CE pay scale. Please note as well that this applies to Fall and Spring semester courses only. Summer and Winter session courses are paid at the CE rate.
Although “hybrid” courses are funded through CE, they count contractually as main unit courses for faculty teaching them—that is, all of the above conditions regarding main unit courses apply equally to hybrid-funded courses.