State profs vote to accept contract

After months of heated negotiations beginning this spring, faculty and coaches from… After months of heated negotiations beginning this spring, faculty and coaches from Pennsylvania’s 14 stated-owned universities agreed to a new 4-year contract with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

APSCUF, the Association of Pennsylvania State College ‘ University Faculties, represents the contracts of all professors and coaches that work for the state system, which oversees state universities like Clarion, Millersville and Bloomsburg. State-affiliated universities such as Temple, Penn State and Pitt are not included in this system.

The new contract would give each faculty member an immediate $1,750 raise for this year, increase salaries by 3 percent in the second and third year and 4 percent in the final year of the contract.

“The monetary package is an improvement over the last contract,” State APSCUF President Pat Heilman said in a press release. “That surely was a factor faculty considered before casting their ballots.”

All told, 77 percent of eligible faculty and 75 percent of eligible coaches took part in the vote, which took place on campuses from Oct. 1-4.

Coaches were heavily unified, ratifying the contract with 97 percent voting in favor of the contract. The faculty tally was much more divided with about 70 percent in favor and 30 percent opposed.

“The faculty vote indicates acceptance of the terms of this agreement. Faculty weighed the pros and the cons of this agreement and decided the pros outweighed the cons,” Heilman said.

In commenting on the coaches’ contract, Heilman said, “[it] is a solid one, providing sound raises and some monetary acknowledgment of some coaches’ longevity with their universities. The language on compensatory time, a new addition to this contract, assures coaches will be remunerated for all of the extra hours they put in assisting our student-athletes.”

The state system’s Board of Governors will vote on the contract today.

If the contract is ratified, the terms of the contract will be retroactive to July 1, 2007 and the contract would last until June 30, 2011.

The previous contract expired on June 30, but PASSHE salvaged an interim agreement that staunched a faculty strike scheduled for July 1.