Despite many scheduled sessions, precious little progress has been made thus far.  That needs to change this week, as both contracts expire on June 30, and APSCUF’s executive council has the green light to call the first strike in the history of the organization if talks fail to secure new pacts.

“This has been a long, frustrating process for our negotiating team members, our leadership, and our members at large,” State APSCUF President Pat Heilman said.  “We tried to advance an agenda that would have featured intensive bargaining last summer and a new agreement nearly a year in advance of the expiration of these contracts.  The PASSHE was not interested in that agenda.”
Instead, Heilman noted, the last year has been an exercise in futility for the most part.

“Some sessions produced meaningful dialogue, but there were a lot of trips to Harrisburg that featured a lot of sitting around without any bargaining activity at all.  That’s extremely disappointing.”
Heilman believes if the PASSHE was not ready to advance new proposals on the major issues, then everyone would have been better off staying away from the bargaining table and formulating proposals.

“Looking back, less sessions and more productive meetings could have placed us at a better position right now,” Heilman observed.  “There is a lot of ground to cover here in the last week.  Our team is ready to negotiate.  I hope their side is as well.  We owe it to our members and to our students and their families to do everything we can to secure a fair settlement that maintains quality and helps us to secure and maintain the best professors.”
Especially troubling about the amount of ineffective bargaining sessions is the drain on PASSHE funds that each session produces.

“When you take into account the daily salary rate for the PASSHE negotiators, hotel costs, and approximate food charges, over $12,000 per day is the tab.  That’s a lot of money for not a lot of results,” Heilman said.
“Between the faculty and coaches we have conducted at least 20 days of sessions.  Right there is $240,000 in expenses for the PASSHE.  APSCUF’s daily expenses are approximately $9,000.”

Heilman stressed the biggest difference between the two sides is that APSCUF’s “daily tab” comes out of union funds, while the PASSHE’s expenses are out of the PASSHE’s operating funds (taxpayer dollars).
The coaches will talk with the PASSHE beginning Wednesday afternoon, while the faculty negotiators have sessions scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.