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Tensions rise over contract talks at CCP

Contract negotiations at Community College of Philadelphia are becoming more tense and personal, with the union preparing to run an ad that takes aim at the president's salary.

Contract negotiations at Community College of Philadelphia are becoming more tense and personal, with the union preparing to run an ad that takes aim at the president's salary.

"Why does the president of CCP make more money than the mayor of Philadelphia or the governor of Pennsylvania?" the ad asks of the $286,000 salary of president Stephen M. Curtis.

It has been five years since the union representing full- and part-time professors as well as janitors, secretaries, and other employees went on strike for two weeks after working without a contract for months.

Now, union members are in a similar position. They have been working under terms of the old contract since August.

Another showdown appears imminent, with the college this week releasing its "best and final offer" and union leaders finding it unsatisfactory.

At issue are salary increases and medical costs as well as sabbaticals.

With state and city support waning in recent years, the college has proposed tying wage increases, the percentage of full-time professors, and the number of sabbaticals to state and city funds it receives. If the funds dip by 2 percent or more in a year, sabbaticals could be cut, scheduled salary increases postponed, and the percentage of part-timers increased.

John W. Braxton, copresident of the union and biology professor, finds that proposal particularly untenable, especially when noting the college's $19 million reserve fund.

"Even though times are tough, they have options that are different from just imposing a bad contract on their employees," he said.

Under its offer for full-time professors, the administration has proposed a salary freeze in the first year, with a 1.5 percent increase in the second and 3 percent increases in each of the following three. Salaries range from $44,800 to more than $79,000.

Proposed wage increases vary for the more than 600 part-time teachers and 200 nonteaching employees.

The school also is seeking to have union members pay a medical insurance deductible ranging from $300 to $900.

The union has offered to increase medical insurance co-pays to save the college $700,000 a year, Braxton said, but objects to the deductible. It wants salary increases of 2 percent to 3 percent a year, he said.

Curtis said the college stood by its offer.

"The situation today is a lot different than five years ago," he said, citing the recession and funding cuts. "We can't go farther than what we've outlined. We think this is a very strong offer."

The state cut funding by 10 percent this year, with a nearly 4 percent decline proposed for next fiscal year under Gov. Corbett's budget.

While the city held funding flat this year, the previous year it slashed $1 million.

Tuition has been increasing steadily, with a full-time student paying about $4,200 a year, Curtis said. The school is reluctant to raise tuition more than it typically does, he said, adding that the school already has the most expensive community college tuition in Pennsylvania.

Braxton criticized college spending. The percentage of the budget spent on administrative salaries has risen from 14 percent in 1997 to 21 percent in 2010-11. If it had not, the college could have saved $30 million since 1997, he said.

Curtis said administrators include financial aid officers, admissions recruiters, and other nonteaching professionals vital to the school's mission. The college previously was understaffed, he said.

Curtis said his earnings were on par with those of executives of a college its size, which enrolls about 20,000 for-credit students and 20,000-plus noncredit students.

He said that all nonunion employees, including himself, would take a salary freeze this year.

As for the others named in the union's ad, Mayor Nutter's official salary is under $199,000, but he has taken furloughs and given back pay raises that make his effective salary this year $170,935. Gov. Corbett receives $174,900.