Update on Chipola personnel negotiations

MARIANNA—The Chipola College District Board of Trustees resolved the impasse in negotiations between the administration and the college faculty during the board’s regular monthly meeting on July 21.

            The board unanimously adopted a motion imposing the language proposed by the college administration for Article 6 which covers faculty work hours and article 12 which covers compensation.

            The board agreed with the magistrate’s rejection of the faculty proposal to reduce faculty workload from 72 to 60 point workload. The board also agreed with the magistrate’s rejection of the faculty’s proposal to reduce the faculty work week from 35 to 25 hours. Under the contract approved by the board, the faculty workload will remain at 72 points and faculty will continue to work 35 hours per week in the Fall and Spring terms and 30 hours per week during summer sessions.

            The board also approved the magistrate’s recommendation on “first-right-of refusal” which prevents a faculty member from replacing or “bumping” an adjunct instructor that has been employed to teach a class. 

            The board also approved language in the contract which provides that the total number of hours on campus for nursing faculty in overload status shall be equal to the scheduled hours of assigned classes, labs and clinicals. The board also authorized the college president to add up to 15 % to the base contract of faculty employed in areas of critical need. 

            Chipola president Dr. Gene Prough said, “We are pleased that the Board of Trustees acted in the best interest of our students. We agree with the special magistrate’s report that funding the faculty’s proposals would not have been in the best interest of the employees, or the students and community they serve.”