State System ratifies contracts with Cal U., other state university faculty
Contracts between the state System of Higher Education and its universities are now official.
The system’s board of governors Tuesday ratified collective bargaining agreements with unions at California University of Pennsylvania and the 13 other schools. The unions – which previously approved the contracts – represent faculty, coaches and nurses. The agreements were negotiated separately during the year, and call for pay raises for virtually all union members.
The board also ratified a wage reopener for campus police and security officers and a merit pool for employees not represented.
Today’s approval came two months after the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, which represents nearly 5,500 professors and coaches, walked out Oct. 19 over the contract impasse. Classes for many of the more than 100,000 students were canceled that day. APSCUF union’s first-ever strike ended two days later, Oct. 21.
It said in October it accepted wage and benefit concessions in exchange for the State System eliminating most of the 249 changes proposed in June.
APSCUF President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash said in a prepared statement: “We are glad this process is complete so our faculty and coaches can begin the new year focused on their students and doing what they do best. Our next step is to determine how our future negotiations can be more constructive and efficient.”
In a separate statement, board Chair Cynthia D. Shapira said: “Each of the new agreements balances the board’s desire to provide increases in compensation to our employees with the necessity to achieve cost savings for the universities and the system.”
The APSCUF contract will end June 30, 2018, while the nurses’ pact will go to June 30, 2019. The police-security agreement will expire in August 2017.
The State System is made up of California, Bloomsburg, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities.