PLATTSBURGH — The Faculty Association at Clinton Community College has ended its “Work to Rule” status as positive progress toward a new contract has been made by both sides.
Under Work to Rule, which FA members had been in since February, faculty at the college were fully embracing the specific duties outlined in their current contract, but nothing extra.
This action was taken after contract negotiations between the two sides had, once again, stalled out in February.
TENTATIVE AGREEMENT
But in a press release shared by the union Thursday, it was revealed that a tentative agreement between the FA and the College — for the first time in six years — was accepted by FA members that day and a vote to ratify the agreement is underway with ballot results to be completed by June 1.
FA Union President Denise Coughlin couldn’t share details of the tentative contract just yet but said there were compromises by both sides in the agreement in regard to retroactive pay and other areas.
MAY 2 MEETING
But, because of this positive progress, she said it was time to end Work to Rule.
“The second mediation session on May 2 was very successful. I think it’s fair to say that both parties came to the table on that May 2 day saying ‘Let’s really see if we can get this done at the end of the year, because we need to go into next year positively,’” Coughlin told the Press-Republican Thursday.
“We’ve reached this tentative agreement, pending a very swift reorganization of Appendix G, based on the two different drafts that each party had. In other words, we weren’t going to lead with one or another. We were going to bring two people together from each party and create a new language and create a new structure collaboratively.”
As previously reported by the Press-Republican, “Appendix G” of the FA’s contract outlines additional ways for members, excluding adjuncts and non-teaching faculty, to make extra compensation.
NURSING CEREMONY
There had been concerns shared at a past Board of Trustees meeting at CCC that Work to Rule was going to negatively impact the nursing students’ capping and pinning ceremony this year.
Coughlin said it’s good to know that will no longer be a concern.
“I’m extremely pleased for our nursing students, because that capping and pinning ceremony that has been throughout … all of this, the students did work with the administration to create the event, but they’re already looking forward to (having) the faculty there at that event,” she said.
“The nurses and the nursing faculty are very, very excited to be able to have that capping and pinning ceremony together.”