October 14, 2016

State System works toward agreement with APSCUF

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

“We came to the table ready to explore a variety of options to get a deal,” said State System spokesman Kenn Marshall.

Prior to today’s session, the State System withdrew nearly two dozen proposed contract changes as a way to focus the discussion. As an example, the System withdrew its proposal to allow some graduate students to gain teaching experience in labs and clinics—under faculty mentorship—after APSCUF opposed it.

“While this would have been helpful in preparing the next generation of college professors, we decided to withdraw it so that negotiations could move forward,” Marshall said. “Negotiations require some give-and-take on both sides. We are doing our part; we need APSCUF to do the same. Nobody wants to see a strike, and we remain hopeful and committed to reaching an agreement.”

As part of its overall proposal, the State System, is offering faculty raises in each of the three remaining years of the contract period, in exchange for the same healthcare plan changes already applied to other System employees, including campus police and security officers, nurses and administrators. The System also is seeking operational changes that would produce additional necessary cost savings for the universities while providing them greater flexibility and enhancing students’ educational experiences.

“We want to provide raises to our outstanding faculty and are attempting to do so,” Marshall said. “Because of the severe fiscal challenges our universities are facing, we also need to realize some cost savings too. We need to modernize some areas of this decades-old contract so that we can ensure a high-quality experience that is relevant for the 21st century needs of our students.”

The raises would increase base salaries ranging from 7.25 percent to 17.25 percent for individual faculty members based on their years of service; some also would receive one-time cash payments in some years. State System faculty are among the highest paid in the nation, ranking in the top 10 to 15 percent among their peers at similar public colleges and universities. The average total earnings of a full-time faculty member at a System university last year was just under $100,000, not including benefits.

“The bargaining teams had a robust discussion about the State System’s healthcare costs, but it is clear a considerable amount of work remains to be done,” said Marshall.

The proposed health care plan changes are identical to those that were applied in January to all other employee groups covered by the plan and are in line with those agreed to earlier this year by the state’s largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which represents about 4,000 State System employees. They would increase the share of the premium paid by faculty members by about $7 to $14 every two weeks. Other plan adjustments would include new deductible and co-insurance requirements for some medical services and higher prescription drug co-payments.

“The issue of healthcare not only is about cost savings; but also, fairness,” Marshall said. “We are attempting to treat all of our employees equally, providing them with the same coverage at the same cost.”

The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.