Contracts: Tools for LEO Contract Administrators -
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated November 19, 2008
GENERAL CONTRACT QUESTIONS
POSTING, HIRING and TITLES
How is the waiver process (institutional reporting) affected by the posting requirements?
How should my department handle Spring/Summer appointments?
LEO wants to meet with new Lecturers in our department, school or college, is this permitted?
How should the issue of substitute teaching in departments be addressed?
What is the difference between a Lecturer I and an Intermittent Lecturer?
What are Special Case Appointments?
What information must be included in a Lecturer’s appointment letter?
What are the parameters under the LEO agreement for using ‘working titles’?
LAYOFF AND RECALL
SALARY
MAJOR REVIEW
Can my unit change our existing evaluation criteria for interim or major reviews?
How does the annual report compare to an interim evaluation?
Are LEO Adjunct Lecturers entitled to a review and the accompanying increase?
Are Intermittent Lecturers entitled to a review and the accompanying increase?
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND
What is the Professional Development Fund for LEO Lecturers?
GENERAL CONTRACT QUESTIONS
Q. What faculty titles are covered by the contract?
A. All non-tenure-track instructional staff are covered by the agreement. These titles do not include dry appointments, GSI appointments, tenured/tenure track faculty from within the hiring unit or outside of the hiring unit, clinical and adjunct clinical faculty, or Visiting titles.
The following table includes current LEO titles and job codes:
Job Code Description 202800
LEO Intermittent Lecturer
202820
LEO Lecturer I
202840
LEO Lecturer II
202860
LEO Lecturer III
202880
LEO Lecturer IV
202700
LEO Adjunct Professor
202720
LEO Adjunct Associate Professor
202740
LEO Adjunct Assistant Professor
202760
LEO Adjunct Instructor
202780
LEO Adjunct Lecturer
Q. If a Lecturer has supervisory duties over other Lecturers, should he or she be excluded from the bargaining unit?
A. Determinations as to whether or not specific non-tenure-track instructional positions are subject to, or would legitimately be excluded from, the terms of the LEO contract, can be complex and nuanced. Contact Academic Human Resources (or the Offices of Human Resources in Flint and Dearborn) with specific questions about whether an individual should be excluded from the bargaining unit.
Q. If a contract requirement conflicts with the Standard Practice Guide (SPG), which one takes precedence for the LEO members?
A. The contract between the University and the LEO is the controlling authority for employment conditions for lecturers covered by it. If the contract is silent on a topic covered by the SPG, for example smoking in the workplace, the SPG would govern. If the contract conflicts with the SPG, the contract controls. If you have any questions or doubts about a conflicting rule, please contact your Academic HR representative.
Q. How are union dues or service fees paid?
A. Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, all covered Lecturers must pay either “union membership dues” or “a representation-service fee” to the LEO union, at rates established by the union. A representation-service fee is an amount paid by those who opt not to become full members of the union and thus do not have voting rights.
Newly-employed bargaining unit members may choose to pay “dues” or “fees”, typically via after-tax payroll deduction.
Note that academic units must provide all newly hired Lecturers with a dues/fees card.
POSTING, HIRING and TITLES
Q. How is the waiver process (institutional reporting) affected by the posting requirements?
A. All positions are required to be posted on the U-M Jobs website via the eMploy system. The contract provides four circumstances when the posting requirement can be waived:
- In the event that the employing academic unit intends to recall an Employee from layoff.
- When a Lecturer III position is being filled from the ranks of current or laid off Employees.
- When it would interfere with the need for timely hiring decisions, in unusual circumstances, or if otherwise provided for in the contract.
- When the Employer fills a position under Article XIV, Provisions for Special Case Appointments.
Please note that the posting waivers listed above do not replace the need to request specific institutional reporting waivers from Tom Palmer in UHR or Dearborn Human Resources or Flint Human Resources.
If there are questions or concerns about the circumstances under which any of these exceptions apply, please contact Academic Human Resources.
Q. How should my department handle Spring/Summer appointments?
A. Spring and Summer appointments should continue to be made following the practices currently in place. Please contact Academic HR if your academic unit is considering any change to its existing spring/summer hiring practices.
Q. LEO wants to meet with new Lecturers in our department, school or college, is this permitted?
A. Article V, Union Rights, allows up to 20 minutes for LEO to make a presentation immediately following any orientation session that a department, school or college may provide for new Lecturers at the beginning of a term. If you have questions about a request by LEO to meet with new Lecturers, please contact Academic Human Resources.
Q. How should the issue of substitute teaching in departments be addressed?
A. Article XXIX, Temporary Substitute Teaching, addresses the responsibility of units for substitute teaching assignments. If an academic unit assigns a Lecturer to substitute teach, the unit is then responsible for compensating the Lecturer based on the Lecturer’s full-time rate and percentage of effort associated with the additional teaching assignment. In situations where Lecturers make independent arrangements, they are left to their own agreements between one another; the unit does not have to approve or arrange payment.
Q. What is the difference between a Lecturer I and an Intermittent Lecturer?
A. A Lecturer I appointment is primarily for the teaching (and its related duties) of assigned courses. There is no requirement of any additional duties or responsibilities with this appointment. Lecturer Is are appointed for periods of one (1) or more semesters. Lecturer Is who have held appointments for eight consecutive or at least eight of the last ten fall and winter semesters shall undergo a major review. Lecturers may be appointed in the Lecturer I title until completion of a major review. A Lecturer I appointment does not carry with it the presumption of renewal.
An Intermittent Lecturer is defined as one who teaches one or more regularly occurring courses as an ongoing part of the academic curriculum, but only one (1) semester per academic year. For this group of Lecturers, one (1) semester or less per academic year is the regular appointment pattern and not the result of layoff due to lack of instructional/programmatic need or budgetary support. An Intermittent Lecturer shall, upon written request, undergo a review after his or her sixth consecutive year of service. If the review is successful, the Intermittent Lecturer will receive a 7 % raise.
If the course that the Intermittent Lecturer regularly teaches is cancelled or does not make for any reason, the Lecturer is subject to layoff and has recall rights for the semester in which he or she usually teaches but only for the effort typically associated with his or her appointment. There are no other recall rights available to the Intermittent Lecturer.
Please contact Academic Human Resources (Ann Arbor), Dearborn Human Resources or Flint Human Resources for assistance in developing these appointments.
Q. What are Special Case Appointments?
A. Article XIV, Provisions for Special Case Appointments, defines five potential categories of appointments that fall within the purview of the contract but have distinct characteristics associated with them. These appointments must be approved in advance by Academic Human Resources and are typically limited term appointments. They include:
- Appointment of Lecturers to Endowed Positions
- Dual Career Appointments
- Programs to Hire Recent University Graduates
- Exchange Programs
- Noted Professionals
Q. What information must be included in a Lecturer’s appointment letter?
A. All Lecturer appointment letters must include the following information:
- Title (e.g. Lecturer I, Lecturer IV)
- Name of employing academic unit
- Name of department chair, program head, or other person to whom the Lecturer reports
- Percentage of effort and salary
- Information regarding benefit eligibility
- A description of the appointment and general responsibilities
- The relevant Union security statement required under Article IV, Union Security, and the Authorization for Payroll Deduction of Union Dues/Service Fees card
Template appointment letters are available from Academic Human Resources.
Q. What are the parameters under the LEO agreement for using ‘working titles’?
A. A Lecturer may continue to use a title held prior to September 1, 2007 as a working title. When utilized, working titles should be approved by the involved appointing department and do not alter the formal appointment title of a Lecturer.
Under the provisions of Article XIV, Provisions for Special Case Appointments, a working title may also be used in conjunction with an approved appointment. Please contact Academic HR or the Human Resources Offices in Flint and Dearborn if you wish to request one of these appointments.
LAYOFF AND RECALL
A. Non-reappointment or reduction in appointment effort because of budgetary considerations, programmatic change or lack of work is considered a layoff. Termination for cause is not considered a layoff. Likewise, a Lecturer who chooses not to teach for a semester would not be placed on layoff status but maybe eligible for a leave of absence if requested.
Whenever possible, all Lecturers on the unit’s layoff list will be notified of position postings within the unit via U.S. mail and/or electronic mail by the unit and will be given an opportunity to apply for appointment opportunities. It is the responsibility of the Lecturer on the layoff status list to provide current contact information to the unit or department and to provide current application materials.
If you have any questions regarding what constitutes a layoff and how to proceed, please contact Academic Human Resources or the Human Resources offices at Flint or Dearborn.
Q. Who produces and maintains the layoff/recall list?
A. It is the responsibility of the unit to maintain a layoff/recall list. HRRIS does not have the ability to accurately track layoff at this time. There is currently a seniority list available through Business Objects that can help units determine the seniority calculation to be used in layoff/recall decisions but it should be used in conjunction with the unit’s own data to provide the most accurate information.
Additionally, Article XII, Layoff, Reduction in Appointment Effort, and Recall, Section E., describes the specific recall rights for Lecturer I’s as they differ from other Lecturer classifications. If you have any questions about the recall rights of a Lecturer I, please contact Academic HR or the Flint and Dearborn Human Resources Offices.
Q. What are the notice requirements for a layoff?
A. Notice should be given to a lecturer as soon as possible after the decision to layoff is made and should include specific language regarding benefits as found in Article XII, Layoff, Reduction in Appointment Effort, and Recall. In any event, the following deadlines must be met to avoid a late notice penalty:
Fall Semester
Winter Semester
Lecturer I
April 30
December 5
Lecturer II
April 30*
Lecturer III/IV
April 1*
*Appointments for Lecturers II, III, and IV are made on an academic year basis.
Template layoff letters are available from Academic Human Resources.
SALARY
Q. What are the minimum full-time salaries for each campus?
A. Effective September 1, 2008, the new full time salary rates on each campus are as follows:
Ann Arbor
Dearborn
Flint
Lecturer I/II
$32,000
$26,000
$25,000
Lecturer III/IV
$34,000
$30,000
$29,000
MAJOR REVIEW
Q. Can my unit change our existing evaluation criteria for interim or major reviews?
A. Yes, a unit may change its criteria, so long as the criteria are consistent with the collective bargaining agreement. However, notice must be given to Lecturers by July 31 for the upcoming academic year.
Q. How does the annual report compare to an interim evaluation?
A. The annual activity report is required of all lecturers and is used to supplement interim evaluations and major reviews. The annual report will identify and summarize the Lecturer’s performance and achievement relevant to his or her assigned duties during the past year, according to specifications provided by the academic unit. Units are required to notify their lecturers once per year of the requirement to submit an annual report and the due date for submission. Please see Article XIX, Performance Evaluation for more details.
An interim evaluation must be conducted as least once before the end of the fifth semester worked by a Lecturer I or III and should be based, at minimum, on annual reports, student evaluations and syllabi. The unit must provide written feedback to the lecturer regarding the interim evaluation and the written feedback will be considered in the subsequent major review.
Q. Are LEO Adjunct Lecturers entitled to a review and the accompanying increase?
A. A LEO adjunct may request a review after six years of service as an adjunct. Upon successful completion of a review, a Lecturer appointed in an adjunct title shall receive a one-time payment in an amount equal to seven percent (7%) of the full-time rate of the adjunct appointment, prorated to the appointment effort in the adjunct title during the semester in which the review was completed. Such payment shall be made no later than the end of the month following the month in which the review is completed.
Q. Are Intermittent Lecturers entitled to a review and the accompanying increase?
A. An Intermittent Lecturer may submit a written request for a review after his or her sixth consecutive year of service. If the review is successful, the Intermittent Lecturer shall receive a seven percent (7%) increase to the Lecturer’s full-time rate effective on the 1st of September following successful completion of the review.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND
Q. What is the Professional Development Fund for LEO Lecturers?
A. The Professional Development Fund for LEO Lecturers began in September 2008. It is funded by the Provost’s office and calls for applications for grants are scheduled for Fall and Winter semesters provided that all available funding has not yet been disbursed. This program is separate and distinct from the CRLT program. Details about the program including applications are available on the Academic Human Resources website.