Newsletter March 4, 2026
- NJZ
- Mar 10
- 3 min read
Hello April,
In tomorrow's paycheck you can expect to see the 8% raise* that faculty collectively bargained earlier this semester. Combine that with the one-time retroactive bonus we received in our last paycheck on February 19, and those are some major wins for our hardworking and dedicated faculty!!!
Additional Financial Wins Coming in Fall 2026
Science and health professors will finally be liberated from the “multipliers” pay reduction (75% pay for labs and 87.5% for clinicals), as labs and clinicals will be paid at the same rate as all other courses.
Math and foreign language professors (and others who have four-credit classes) will also be paid for any contact hours over 15.
Department chairs will have release time for the first time ever.
Academic Freedom Win
Protecting academic freedom was one of our top concerns throughout the bargaining process and the language in our new contract is a big win. Our Collective Bargaining Agreement protects our right to design our pedagogy.
On the other hand, we also experienced a few losses. Our new contract is silent on some key issues and losing that language makes it more difficult to enforce our rights (the recognition, supremacy and severability clauses are not in the new CBA). We also agreed to a change in our work week with 5 additional hours devoted to grading, prep, campus and college activities, and professional development. Keep in mind that there is no requirement to schedule, document or report those hours and if the administration wanted to add those requirements, it would have to go through the collective bargaining process.
The Good News
We look forward to working with the administration closely in the upcoming weeks in a spirit of shared governance. We anticipate resuming negotiations in late spring or early summer.
What’s next?
So, now is the time to speak up about what is most present in your mind. Based on what we’re hearing from faculty, these are some of the issues that need more precise guidelines and protections in our contract.
Overload Pay (not currently on par with peer institutions)
Continuing Contract Requirements
Professional Development Requirements
Campus-to-Campus Transfer Policy
Office Hour Requirements
Faculty Calendar Concerns
What would you add to this list?
We are hearing again and again from faculty that a lack of clear, consistent communication is having a deleterious effect on our institution as a whole. We are hopeful that through a shared governance approach, we can help our institution find stability in the wake of several years of ongoing upheavals. This is the time to make your voice heard and offer solutions to problems we are all facing.
Our Union is a Work in Progress. Join the Effort.
Drop into one of our upcoming discussions about what’s next for the union and how you might like to be involved going forward. What are some ways (big or small) you would like to contribute to your union?
Wednesday March 4 @ 1pm ***TODAY***Constitution and Bylaws Committee Meeting. If you are considering getting more involved in your union, this would be a great opportunity to lean in and find an on ramp that works for you. There are many ways to contribute, both big and small. Every little bit of support is appreciated!
Wednesday March 18 @ 1pm ***SAVE THE DATE***
General Membership Meeting. Save the date. Agenda and zoom link will be sent to your personal email. Stay tuned.
Membership is the Key
We want to give a special shout out to all of the faculty who support our effort with their union membership. Our membership has been consistently growing. If you have not yet joined, now is the perfect time to do so. With each additional member, we become stronger and more effective as a united faculty.
Questions, comments, or concerns? Please reach out! uff.phsc@gmail.com
In solidarity,
Caitlin Gille
President, PHSC Faculty Union
Professor, Natural Science
Pasco-Hernando State College, Porter Campus
*Your raise will be slightly less than 8% for now. The raise is tied to our new 35-hour work week but because we have a 9 month contract and get paid over 12 months, we have less work weeks remaining in this fiscal year than we have paychecks. Paychecks starting in the new Academic Year will have the full 8% raise, so you paycheck in August will increase again. Reach out if you would like more details.
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