Hi folks,
I wanted to update you all on the meeting representatives of FixFlex had
with President Mason today.
Overall, the meeting went very well. President Mason was receptive to
our perspective, and thanked our group for our efforts over the past
month. In her view, we played an instrumental role in educating the UI
community about the benefits changes and bringing several key issues to
light.
She has not made a decision about the proposed benefits changes yet.
Nevertheless, she indicated that she was leaning toward something less
drastic than the major changes proposed by FRIC. In her words, she wants
to figure out whether there are some “baby steps” we could take to move
us from where we are to something that is more financially stable for
the university.
Perhaps most critically, she asked that we work together as a family to
fix the system over the coming months.
We communicated to President Mason that FixFlex understands change is
coming and that we are not opposed to change. Rather, we are opposed to
the process that has unfolded over the past few months that has not been
representative and has not been inclusive.
Moreover, we are opposed to the huge impact the proposed changes would
have on many people in such a short time.
Finally, we communicated our desire to think very carefully about our
current benefits system to see whether we can both embrace change and
retain a system that has been a great recruiting and retention tool for
UI.
I left the meeting feeling very good about our efforts, and feeling
reasonably confident that President Mason will do the right thing. She
is dealing with a lot right now, but I think she’s thinking very clearly
about the FRIC proposal, the need for change, but also the needs of UI
employees.
I want to thank all the folks who attended the meeting today. Please
feel free to circulate your impressions if I’ve left anything out.
I also want to thank the broader FixFlex community for making the
petition so successful. In my view, we have accomplished a ton in the
past month:
–we have communicated our message clearly and directly to President
Mason
–she has our petition with 2286 signatures and “Your Stories” in hand
–and I think she is poised to make the right decision to preserve our
benefits system, allow for a more representative and inclusive process,
and move forward to FIX FLEX TOGETHER!
Finally, I know that many people are still dealing with flood-related
issues, but faculty are encouraged to attend the Faculty Council Meeting
to discuss the proposed changes to our benefits system on Tuesday from
3:30-5:15 in W401 Pappajohn Business Building (PBB).
Cheers,
John Spencer
