A university faculty strike date of Oct. 19 has been set for all 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities.
“This is not a day that we look forward to at all,” said Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash during his live announcement broadcast on the APSCUF Facebook page Friday morning, Sept. 23.
Surrounded by APSCUF representatives, Mash said APSCUF will not strike if the PASSHE negotiates a fair contract for students and faculty.
“This morning we were disappointed by the fact that we did not hear from the State System,” said Mash. “They did not respond to our offer of having binding arbitration. We knew that the process of having binding arbitration was one that would be risky for them but also risky for us.”
During a binding arbitration, a three-person panel could conclude the contract dispute.
“We would have no idea of what the outcome would be but we were willing to live with that outcome because we thought that we needed resolution for our students and for our faculty and for our universities to be the best that they could possibly be.”
Also APSCUF learned that the nonbinding fact-finding request with a Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board arbitrator has been turned down.
“That leaves us where we are right now. We have been subjected to a very painful process. We have spent too much time for all the faculty across the System on these issues. We need to reach a resolution that preserves the quality of our universities that supports our students and that is fair to the faculty and also to the coaches as well in reaching that conclusion,” said Mash.
The strike authorization vote passed early September, authorizing Mash and the 14 chapter presidents to vote on whether to set a strike date. Five days of contract negotiations between APSCUF and PASSHE were held this week.
“We made very little progress along the way,” said Mash. “APSCUF put a healthcare concession on the table and still the State System stuck to its offer, which was terrible for us.”
Mash said PASSHE continues to go to the press saying how much they are offering faculty.
According to a Sept. 21 PASSHE release, PASSHE “proposed raising faculty pay by nearly 12 percent while seeking contractual changes that would preserve quality and affordability for students and their families-even amid unprecedented fiscal challenges.”
“But they leave out is the degree by which they are asking for give backs from the faculty which would heavily negate any increases that we would get. They estimate those would be about $70 million. We think that could be as high as $90 million and we can’t even put a cost on getting rid off annuity and healthcare. They could be tens of millions of dollars even more of that we’re being asked for.”
“But most important to us are the issues of quality. We do not think it’s correct for the State System to be saying that they want to use new graduate students to teach standalone courses. That’s not a practice that’s accepted anywhere in academia,” said Mash.
He explained that someone in a master’s degree program and just graduated from college could be teaching a class.
“We are not willing to accept the State System in their demand to increase the use of adjunct faculty at our universities… that means there would be a decrease in the permanent faculty, the faculty who design courses, the faculty that work directly with students, who do advising and who build relationships with the students that make our universities what they are.”
Mash said APSCUF will not accept PASSHE increasing the workload on adjunct faculty, in effect cutting their salaries by 20 percent.
“We are not going to victimize the people who are paid the least by making them give back. We are not going to allow the State System to tell our scientists their labs are not worth as much as they were. We are not going to allow our students to suffer by having their counsellors have to meet so many students that they cannot possibly meet student demand and do their jobs properly,” said Mash, noting that there are many more things he could mention.
“But most importantly to remember is that we are where we are because my colleagues feel so strongly about protecting the quality of the universities and sticking up for quality education for our students,” said Mash. “We do that for the students who are there right now but we also do that for future students… and for our alumni… Our alumni deserve to have their degrees be worth as much today as they were at the time that they earned them.”
Mash said APSCUF is also disappointed by the continuous distortions presented by PASSHE.
“They focus on an average salary that is clearly targeted at the most highly paid faculty members and ignores the lowest ranks of the faculty members,” said Mash.
He said faculty are paid fairly but at the same level as is appropriate for the region.
“We are unhappy when they spread an untruth saying that we refuse to meet with them. We do not refuse to meet with them,” said Mash.
Mash explained that PASSHE wanted to meet the weekend of Sept. 24 when APSCUF was already scheduled to hold legislative assembly in Harrisburg and informed PASSHE months ago that APSCUF was not available. He said PASSHE asked for other dates that were not good for APSCUF. Also, APSCUF gave PASSHE five dates and waits to hear from PASSHE.
If a new contract is not settled by Oct. 19, all faculty at all 14 PASSHE universities will be on strike.
“That date provides sufficient time for both sides to go to the table again and be reasonable,” said Mash. “It is not reasonable for the State System to show up at the negotiation table, simply demand that they get what they want and that there will be no give and take at the table.”
This weekend, APSCUF will hold a strike-training workshop after their legislative assembly meets. APSCUF plans to resume talks with the State System in October and wait to hear back from PASSHE regarding dates.
Mash said APSCUF set the strike date with a heavy heart. Their goal is to meet as often as necessary until a fair contract is reached.
“We would much rather be back in our classrooms working with our students and giving them our full attention,” said Mash.
In response to the strike date being set, PASSHE asks the faculty union to return to the bargaining table next week and resume negotiations.
“A strike by faculty runs counter to everything that higher education stands for,” said State System spokesman Kenn Marshall in a PASSHE release on Sept. 23. “We should be able to find a resolution through meaningful discussion, continued dialogue and reason. We can’t afford to stop meeting. This is too important to our students. We need to continue talking.”
Under the State System’s latest proposal, according to the PASSHE release, individual faculty members would receive raises ranging from 7.25 percent to 17.25 percent over the life of the new contract.
“The $159 million in raises would be provided in exchange for healthcare plan changes and other contractual changes that would produce needed cost savings of about $70 million,” according to the release.
“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 are committed to providing our faculty raises, but some cost savings are necessary to ensure the financial sustainability of the System. We need to achieve a resolution that will ensure our students continued, uninterrupted access to a high-quality, affordable education.”
In the meantime, what can students do to get involved in the process?
Mash of APSCUF recommends students write to him, the PASSHE Chancellor, and to the university presidents.
The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.
