Tensions rise in continuing battle over faculty salaries

Little progress has been made in the ongoing faculty salary battle between the faculty union and the Portland State Administration, with the dissension leaving some union members increasingly unhappy with the biennial bargaining process.

Tensions at the Nov. 15 collective bargaining agreement session raised questions about a possible faculty strike, a process that would take months to start.

The PSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors reported on their website that the Nov. 15 meeting was unsatisfactory because of the administration’s refusal to accept the union’s request for at least a 12 percent pay raise over the next two years.

The administration has offered an increase of about 8.5 percent for some faculty to be paid out incrementally over the next two years, while others would receive just over 5 percent, according to the union website.

The union will meet again on Tuesday, Dec. 4, in what promises to be a critical meeting in the salary debate.

If the administration does not accept the union’s proposal Tuesday, then the union will request to move to a mediation process, which is one step closer to a faculty strike. The union represents nearly 1,100 full-time faculty members and academic professionals.

The current proposal being offered by the administration would put some faculty members’ pay a little over the 3 percent yearly inflation rate, while faculty who receive just over the 5 percent pay increase would fall behind inflation. The collective bargaining process started in April of this year.

Nick Walden Poublon, the university affairs director for the Associated Students of Portland State University, was at the last meeting and said he heard talk of striking firsthand.

“In my opinion I think they are very seriously considering going into the process of mediation in order to move one step closer to striking,” he said.

If the union files for mediation, it would still take quite some time before they are able to strike, said union President Gary Brodowicz.

The union’s vice president for collective bargaining, Jonathan Uto, could not comment on whether the union is planning on filing for mediation, but said that next Tuesday’s meeting would “set the tone for a lot of things.”

Brodowicz hopes that for the next meeting, the PSU administration at least comes prepared with specific reasons as to why they are not accepting the union’s pay raise proposal, which he says they have not done yet.

Faculty morale is “in the toilet,” he said, and he has heard many faculty members, even senior faculty, talk about striking without blinking an eye.

“I’m not sure the administration sees it,” Brodowicz said about the widespread dissension among faculty. “They see us as the people that attend the rallies and are the same old faces. It’s bigger than the 27 people that show up to bargaining.”

PSU faculty members make about $3,000 to $7,000 less than their contemporaries at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, according to the AAUP.

Continue to check www.dailyvanguard.com over winter break for updates on the collective bargaining process.