Members of PSU’s full-time faculty union will not be able to strike over their salaries until July, contrary to what has previously been published by the AAUP. On March 7, the PSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the university administration agreed upon an extension that keeps the 2005-2007 faculty contract in effect until June 30. The agreement contains an article prohibiting a faculty strike until at least July 1.
Faculty unable to strike until July 1
Members of PSU’s full-time faculty union will not be able to strike over their salaries until July, contrary to what has previously been published by the AAUP.
On March 7, the PSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the university administration agreed upon an extension that keeps the 2005-2007 faculty contract in effect until June 30. The agreement contains an article prohibiting a faculty strike until at least July 1.
Final salary offers for the 2007-2009 collective bargaining agreement from both the PSU-AAUP and the administration were submitted to a state mediator last Thursday. The offers are part of the recent AAUP-declared state of impasse, which is the last step in salary negotiations. The AAUP declared impasse after the say mediations broke down.
The final offers from both the AAUP and the administration reflect over a year’s worth of negotiations between the university and the union, yet they still contain discrepancies.
Comparisons of faculty salary adjustments in both final offers show varying levels of pay increases.
In the administrations offer, 12-month ranked instructional faculty would receive a 3.7 percent base salary increase for 2007-2008, effective Jan. 1, 2008. In the AAUP’s offer for the same year, ranked instructional faculty would receive a 5 percent salary increase, effective July 1, 2007.
For 2008-2009, the administrations salary adjustments are less than the previous year, with 12-month ranked instructional faculty receiving a 3.5 percent increase, effective Jan. 1, 2009.
Under the AAUP’s final offer, 2008-2009 increases would stay the same as the previous year for 12-month ranked instructional faculty, at 5 percent. Those increases would be effective July 1, 2008.
Now that the final offers have been made, the negotiation process is in a 30-day “cool off” period.
In an April 10 post on the PSU-AAUP’s Web site, the union stated that, “The membership of PSU-AAUP can choose to strike immediately after the thirty days, much later, or not at all.”
The university has pointed out that because of the March 7 contract extension, striking would be a breach of contract until July 1.
Jonathan Uto, PSU-AAUP chief faculty negotiator, said the AAUP did not want to strike during spring term because they did not want to affect students about to graduate.
He said that no faculty ever wants to strike, but the possibility for a strike in fall quarter is becoming an unfortunate likelihood. He added that “there was no progress” in the university’s final offer.
“We believe that through this process we can find a solution,” said Julie Smith from University Communications.
PSU-AAUP will hold two forums to discuss the faculty’s next steps including how they would organize a potential strike during next fall quarter. The first forum will take place today in Smith Memorial Student Union, room 294 from noon to 2 p.m. and tomorrow in Smith, room 238 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
