State university faculty/administration in marathon talks to avert a strike
Negotiators for Pennsylvania state universities' faculty union and administration are in marathon talks, trying to avert the first strike in the history of the 105,000-student system.
Negotiators for Pennsylvania state universities' faculty union and administration are in marathon talks, trying to avert the first strike in the history of the 105,000-student system.
They met Friday, Sunday, and Monday and are scheduled to be back at the table Tuesday and Wednesday.
"If it takes meeting every single day until we reach an agreement, we're committed to doing that," said Kenn Marshall, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
Both faculty and coaches, by a vast majority, have authorized the union's negotiating committee to call a strike at the 14 state universities if necessary. Faculty authorized the move the first week of September; coaches voted last week.
Union officials have said they would not wait much past the authorization votes to set a strike date if no progress was made.
Marshall said progress had been made in that proposals are being exchanged.
Kenneth M. Mash, union president and a political science professor at East Stroudsburg University, could not be reached for comment.
The sides have been divided on health insurance and salary costs, but also on work rules involving adjunct faculty, research and distance education.
Marshall said the system is eager to get a settlement.
"Students have been subjected to strike talk since last semester," he said. "I'm sure that's creating a lot of tension on campuses, a lot of anxiety among students."
The union represents about 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.
The union's previous contract expired June 30, 2015. The system last month said it had offered faculty cash payments of $600 this year and raises in the next two years in exchange for givebacks in health insurance and an increase in the teaching load for temporary faculty. The raise would amount to 1 percent in January 2018 and 1 percent in January 2019, plus a step increase on the salary schedule equivalent to 2.5 percent to 5 percent.
The starting salary for a full-time instructor is $46,609, with the top of scale at $112,238 for an experienced full professor.
The average cost of tuition, fees, and room and board at state system universities for 2016-17 is about $21,000.
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