PASSHE’S LATEST OFFER TO FACULTY FALLS WOEFULLY SHORT; FINAL TALKS SET FOR THIS WEEK
HARRISBURG - Though the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSH) finally submitted a salary contract proposal above 0% to its faculty, a lot of ground needs to be covered this week if the two sides are to achieve a new collective bargaining agreement.
APSCUF’s current pact with the PASSHE expires on June 30, and recent discussions have yielded only slight progress in non-economic areas. The two sides have three days of bargaining remaining - June 28, 29 and 30.
If the PASSHE does not significantly improve its offer, the first strike in the history of APSCUF and the PASSHE appears likely.
“The PASSHE has made an offer which contains no across-the-board increase in the first year and minor increases in the other three years. The percentage offered doesn’t even meet the inflation rate,” State APSCUF President Pat Heilman said, “and most faculty fell below the inflation rate in the current contract.”
Faculty members currently contribute 10% of the cost of their health benefits, and the PASSHE proposal increases that amount progressively (to 30% in the fourth year). “Factoring in the premium costs with the System’s meager offer means faculty will LOSE money in each year of the next contract,” Heilman said. “Is that their plan to stem the tide of PASSHE faculty leaving the System?”
“Everyone needs to keep in mind that faculty members are paying a percentage of the premium, and those premiums keep going up every year. Accepting this contract proposal would lead to an increased exodus of faculty from our universities,” Heilman added.
Over 1,000 faculty members have departed the PASSHE in the last five years and, to date, more than 200 more have signed papers to leave at the end of this month, Heilman expects that number to swell further, considering the status of the contract talks.
“Look at where inflation is going, and they want us to accept an increase in health premium co-share and substandard increases. Our faculty have suffered enough and are reaching the boiling point. It’s doubly insulting when you add in that Management gave themselves a 6% salary increase this year retroactive to last July.”
APSCUF’s salary proposals (4% in 2007-08, 5.5% in 2008-09 and 2009-10, and 5% in 2010-11) would enable faculty to realize a modest salary increase above inflation, which is running, at this time, at 4.6%.
Heilman noted that the universities are having problems filling some positions now, and acceptance of the current PASSHE proposal would only worsen the problem.
“Tenure-line faculty are shouldering more and more of the university’s committee work while advising larger and larger numbers of students and teaching a heavier workload than some two-year colleges,” Heilman said.
“Do you expect that highly-sought-after university faculty will stay in a system where the salary and benefits are non-competitive, the workload is atrocious, and there is enormous pressure for research and publication with little or no commitment of professional development funds?”
Reports that PASSHE faculty pay ranks in the 90th percentile are not current and a deliberate attempt to deflect attention away from the poor offers being made. “It’s been a long time since our salaries were that competitive,” Heilman said. “We are below the 50th percentile in salary in our region comparing our categories of institutions with similar institutions.”
“This week it’s make-or-break time,” Heilman remarked. “Contracts for both our faculty and coaches are unresolved at this point, and we are down to a precious few days remaining.”