NSU faculty overwhelmingly vote for collective bargaining |
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NFA members celebrate after faculty approved collective bargaining at NSU |
After several, sometimes tense, months of preparation, officers of the Nevada State University chapter of the NFA have plenty of reasons to celebrate after faculty at the southern Nevada campus voted in breathtaking margins in favor of collective bargaining. Just under 90% of NSU's academic faculty members voted in the election, which was held on April 1st and 2nd. When the counting was done and verified by the American Arbitration Association, 104 voters checked "yes," and only eight checked "no."
The historic vote makes NSU the fourth institution, and the first university, in NSHE to embrace collective bargaining for faculty since the Board of Regents approved limited rights to organize in 1974. It joins the College of Southern Nevada, Truckee Meadows Community College, and Western Nevada College.
With the decision now finalized, NSU-NFA officers are turning their attention to preparing for contract negotiations with the campus administration. Negotiation topics are outlined in Title 4 Chapter 4 of the Board of Regents handbook, which governs collective bargaining at NSHE institutions.
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Nominations still open for NFA state offices
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The NFA Nominating and Elections Committee continues to accept nominations for State Board elections that will start at the end of the month. According to the committee chair, Cheryl Cardoza, nominations have been submitted for all offices except Treasurer. We encourage anyone interested in serving in an NFA state office, especially Treasurer, to submit their names by contacting Cheryl at cheryl.cardoza@nevadafacultyalliance.org.
Incumbent State Board Officers, President Jim New, Vice President Jill Acree, and Treasurer Cheryl Cardoza, have announced that they will not run for reelection and will step down at the end of their current terms. New and Acree will continue to serve as chapter presidents at TMCC-NFA and CSN-NFA, respectively.
The term for a State Board office is two years, beginning June 1, 2025. All NFA members in good standing may run. Following verification of their eligibility, the nominees will submit statements to support their candidacy that will be shared with members. Electronic ballots will arrive on April 21st and voting will close on May 2nd. |
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Dismantling US Department of Education will cost students dearly |
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The Trump Administration's executive order aimed at dismantling the U.S Department of Education will be costly for every state in the union, including Nevada. The federal agency, which oversees federal student financial aid and enforces laws ensuring equal to access to education, contributes nearly $13.4 billion to Nevada students. |
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More than 363,000 Nevadans rely on billions of dollars in student loans made through the Department, while another 57,000 benefit from Pell grants. It is unclear how the administration's order will affect these programs, but such uncertainty may dissuade thousands from seeking higher education degrees in the near future. Coupled with cuts and freezes at other federal agencies, like the National Institutes of Health which funds research to the tune $4 million at UNR and $2.5 million at UNLV each year, these actions will have lasting and dramatic impacts on NSHE institutions unless legal or congressional challenges are successful in reversing course.
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AAUP offers guidance for institutions to resist enabling deportations
In a letter sent to general counsel offices at colleges and universities across the United States, NFA's national affiliate, the American Association of University Professors advises campus administrators that there is no legal compulsion to comply with a request from the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education to supply names and nationalities of students and faculty involved in alleged Title VI violations. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. The NFA subsequently sent copies of the letter to campus administrators, as well as faculty and student leaders. We encourage our members to reach out to administrators and encourage them to resist going beyond the strictest requirements of the law.
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NFA fights to protect and expand employee benefits |
Through public comments and testimony at agency meetings, and lobbying in the Nevada Legislature, NFA representatives have taken a leadership role in advocating for improved health and retirement benefits for NSHE faculty and other state employees.
At the start of the year, NFA rallied faculty to speak out against a plan by the Public Employees Benefits Program (PEBP) to eliminate the Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) and Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) options from our health plans. Heeding these concerns from faculty and other state employees, the PEBP Board voted to retain those options.
Subsequently, NFA monitored the PEBP Board's deliberations on insurance premiums for the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1. At the PEBP Board Meeting on March 30th, the Board approved premium increases of up to 23% for all health plans except the High Deductible PPO which will see no increase.
Restoring retiree benefits that were eliminated or reduced as a result of the Great Recession remains a top priority for NFA lobbyists at the Legislature. Assembly Bill 188 seeks to reestablish health insurance benefits for state employees at their pre-recession levels. As a cost cutting measure, the 2011 Legislature reduced the level of support for health insurance that current state employees would receive upon their retirement after 15 years of service. The legislation also eliminated all support for retirement health insurance for employees hired after December 31, 2011. Since no employees who were hired since that date have reached the 15 years of service that is required to qualify for the benefits, that provision of the bill has resulted in no savings whatsoever for the state. NFA joins with other public employee unions in Nevada in support of AB 188 to ensure all qualified state workers are allowed to retire with dignity.
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Regents reject Title 2 Chapter 6 changes in response to faculty objections |
During their quarterly meeting in Henderson on March 7th, the Board or Regents rejected an NSHE proposal to modify policies that govern termination of faculty for cause in the BOR Code. After hearing faculty objections during the Public Comment period, and polling the Faculty Senate Council of Chairs, Regents failed to muster enough votes to pass the policy revision, which would have granted the Chancellor final authority over faculty termination appeals, requiring consultation only with the Board's chair and excluding other Regents from the process.
The NFA strongly opposed the proposal and advocated that Regents reject it as written. Regents who voted against the proposal cited the concerns voiced by faculty as the reasons for their votes. |
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