State profs to vote on contract

The eleventh-hour compromise reached July 2 by the State System of Higher Education and the… The eleventh-hour compromise reached July 2 by the State System of Higher Education and the union of Pennsylvania faculty and coaches at state-owned schools still stands. But so far, nothing is written in stone.

The state and the union reached a tentative compromise last week after five straight days of negotiations in Harrisburg.

While the agreement was deemed sufficient to postpone a strike by the union, it may not have entirely prevented one if a vote by the full union membership early next month fails to ratify the contract as it is written now.

“There will be a delegate meeting the last weekend of July where the proposal will be reviewed,” Kevin Kodish, director of communications for the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties said. “After that, there will be a full rank-and-file vote in early August.”

The vote by the union’s membership will ultimately determine whether to accept or deny the proposal for their new four-year contracts.

Kodish said he can’t predict how the union will vote.

“There are elements that are right [with the current proposal], and there are elements that are wrong,” he said. “That will be up to the membership.”

Ken Marshall, media relations manager for the State System of Higher Education, said he felt that the last minute negotiations were in no way an indication of communication difficulties between the union and the state but simply the nature of this type of discourse.

“Nothing really changed [in the final days of negotiations],” Marshall said.

“It was a matter of concluding the process. There always is a significant amount of give and take in any negotiations. These were no different. Both sides were able to achieve some, but not all, of their key objectives.”

Marshall’s statement was in concordance with the state’s long-held position that negotiations were fruitful, amicable and proceeded in the manner expected.

The union, which felt differently throughout the negotiation process, complained in the past of a failure of the two sides to listen to one another’s priorities and take into account their needs.

Kodish said he believed the agreement could be credited to a greater willingness by the state and the union to compromise as time ran out before the next summer term — or a strike – began.

“I think there was willingness on both sides to bend a little bit,” he said.

The union’s final vote in August will ultimately determine how flexible they’re willing to be.

Kodish said that a rejection of the proposal would not necessarily lead to an immediate strike but more than likely to another round at the bargaining table with state representatives.