Article 28.4 (b): Tuition Remission

A benefit enshrined in the Collective Bargaining Unit involves a full-time or adjunct faculty member's ability to follow any course of study at Pratt Institute and to receive full or partial reimbursement depending upon the faculty member's status (full time or adjunct).

Article 28.4 (b) of the UFCT 1460 Collective Bargaining Agreement states the following:

28.4 Tuition Remission and Tuition Exchange Plan

(b) Part-Time Faculty

The tuition remission program set forth in Article 28.4(a)(1), above, shall be available on a pro rata basis to the spouses and children of the adjunct faculty who have completed ten (10) or more semesters of employment (as a visitor or adjunct). The pro-ration per semester shall be based on the faculty member’s workload in the last preceding semester as against a full-time per semester workload in the faculty member’s department.

This means that there is no limit to the reimbursement based upon some arbitrary maximum number of course credits set by Human Resources. Course credits are nowhere mentioned in the CBA. If the adjunct takes 8 credits, the reimbursement will be figured based on that, and if he or she takes 12, it will be figured based on that, and so on. The adjunct receives reimbursement based upon the ratio of his or her workload the previous semester in relationship to a full-time workload in his or her department. That ratio in turn is multiplied by the total tuition, resulting in the amount Pratt covers, and the amount for which the adjunct is responsible.

As such, if you are an adjunct faculty member who has used the tuition remission benefit for yourself, spouse, or any dependent child in the last three years, please contact the UFCT ASAP as you most probably paid much more than was warranted for your tuition remission benefit.

The UFCT will not countenance such abuse and bad faith.

In Solidarity,

-Kye

Union Office: (718) 636-3614

Email: kyecarbone@gmail.com