Two-year tentative contract reached for faculty

After over 15 months of negotiations and several threats of a strike, Portland State administrators and faculty have reached an agreement on faculty salaries.

The agreement is a two-year tentative contract from 2007-09 that will award the faculty an across-the-board salary increase ranging from 8.75 percent to 9.75 percent.

Increases for academic professionals and research faculty are 5.25 percent for 2007-08, while ranked instructional faculty members will see a 4.25 percent raise in the same time period. All three classifications will receive a 4.5 percent salary increase for 2008.09.

“It’s not everything that everyone ever wanted, but that’s bargaining,” said Julia Getchell, executive director of AAUP’s Portland State chapter. “We would have liked more, but it was clear that the university was not going to be forthright.”

Portland State’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors represents roughly 1,200 faculty members that are employed by the university.

“Portland State University’s faculty are prized for their knowledge, research, achievements, and ability to engage students,” said Interim President Michael Reardon in a University Communications release. “We’re pleased that an agreement has been reached that allows us to continue educating our students and serving the community.”

Getchell said AAUP was preparing to file a compliant against the university for failure to conduct good-faith bargaining. The university was aware that the complaint was to be filed by the end of July, Getchell said, which she believes is one reason the contract was agreed upon at this point.

“I think that may have encouraged them,” said Getchell, who claims the university was not bargaining fairly and failed to release the necessary information AAUP needed to negotiate the contract.

Getchell believes another reason the university agreed to the contract is that new University President Wim Wiewel will be arriving soon and the administrators did not want “this hanging over his head.”

The first round of salary increases will take effect retroactively for January and February of 2008, with 12-month faculty receiving retroactive pay for a month longer than their nine-month counterparts, Getchell said. Getchell also said that the faculty can expect lump sums in their August or September paychecks to reflect the retroactive pay.

The second round of salary increases will begin in either January or February of next year.

One highlight in the contract include an increase from $250,000 to $400,00 in faculty development funds, which allow professors to hone their skills and explore research opportunities. Another is an increase to the faculty travel fund-from $90,000 to $200,000. And health insurance for faculty will be fully paid until 2009.

Administration also agreed to create two separate labor-management task forces to monitor faculty’s workload and job security, especially for temporary instructional faculty. More notice for faculty who would be terminated was also granted.

In negotiations with the administration in May of this year, Portland State faculty members were offered a base salary increase of 3.7 percent for 2007-08, and a 3.5 percent boost in pay for 2008-09. This was far below AAUP’s offer of a 5 percent increase for both years of the 2007-09 biennium.

The stark contrast between how much the Portland State administration was willing to increase faculty salaries and AAUP’s offers for increases led to the union declaring an impasse.

A strike never occurred, however, negotiations took over 15 months, far longer than the nine months required to completely negotiate the 2005-07 contract.

“I’m just disappointed it took this long,” Getchell said Wednesday afternoon after the tentative agreement to the contract had come.

With the tentative contract completed, Getchell said it must be ratified by sending the contract details out in ballot form to all the members within AAUP’s Portland State chapter.

Once the results of the faculty member’s votes are tallied, and if the members are in favor of the contract’s terms, it must be signed by Oregon University System Chancellor George Pernsteiner to become official.

Getchell expects the contract to be finalized by either August or September.

For more information on the contract visit: http://www.pdx.edu/oaa.