“The latest proposal from state system administrators went back on prior promises … they were talking about retrenchment and we were working on protection that would give a little more protection so universities couldn’t simply hold it over employees’ heads”.
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Friday faculty union leaders said faculty members will go on strike October 19th unless a new contract agreement is reached that they say is fair to students and faculty.
In a statement this morning, Kenn Marshall, a spokesman for the State System of Higher Education, said it’s asking the faculty union “to return to the bargaining table next week and resume negotiations”.
“The State System has asked for tens of millions more in concessions from faculty than they have from anyone else”, Mr. Mash said. “If we have to go on strike, we are going to do whatever it takes”. According to the union, under this method both sides would agree to uphold whatever agreement a three-person panel decides upon – an offer the state system rebuked since they would have to agree to the contract without seeing it first.
“Our hope is that we never get to the point of being on strike”, said Mash.
APSCUF is also filing an unfair labor practice charge with the state labor board, claiming the state system has failed to meet its responsibility in negotiations.
The Association of Pennsylvania State College Universities Faculties announced today that they’ll strike in less than a month unless the Pennsylvania State System comes up with a fairer contract negotiation for faculty across 14 universities around the state. “We can’t afford to stop meeting”. “We should be able to find a resolution through meaningful discussion, continued dialogue and reason”. “In fact, they were so insulting to the faculty that we have filed an unfair labor practice with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board due to their failure to negotiate in good faith”.
The current base salary for full-time faculty ranges from $46,609 to $112,239.
“So far, the union has offered only a minor change in healthcare deductibles that actually would be offset by additional healthcare demands they are making”, Marshall said. “We just want a fair deal”.
Although the system maintains it has offered $159 million in pay raises, Mash said much of that money would be given back in health care concessions that the system is demanding.
APSCUF represents approximately 5,500 faculty and coaches at Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. But he said the bottom line is “we need to have savings somewhere” to help the system cope with its financial challenges and declining enrollment.
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The system appears to have snubbed the union’s request for binding arbitration, he said.
