Bargaining Report #10

To:    PSU-AAUP Members
From:   Ron Narode, VP Collective Bargaining    
Bargaining Report #10 about Bargaining Session #10, October 15, & #11, November 5, 2013

NOVEMBER 19 NOON SMITH RALLY FOR AAUP FAIR CONTRACT
At our tenth Bargaining Session, October 15, 2013, Mary King facilitated the session (Ron Narode was out of town) and presented the AAUP package proposal in response to the Administration’s previous package.  You may access our package proposal here

There were few questions from the Administration about our package, and negotiations ended with little negotiation about the package itself.  There were no new proposals from the Administration.

On November 4, 2013, VP for Bargaining, Ron Narode delivered a bargaining update to the PSU Faculty Senate.  You may access the report here.  More than 200 AAUP members showed their support at the Faculty Senate, and more than 160 cards were written to President Wiewel asking for a fair contract.

At our 11th Bargaining Session, November 5, 2013, Carol Mack facilitated the session where they presented a revised package proposal.  Our AAUP team returned to our proposal with explanations for our requests with respect to most of the articles in our package.  We stressed our rationale for changes in Article 30 (Salary and Benefits). 

AAUP proposal for salary:

•         2.5% COLA to keep up with inflation that was 2.5% in Portland for the past two years
•         1% across the board raise to get us closer to the mean compensations of our comparator institutions
•         1% pool for equity adjustments across disciplines (retention)
•         10% increase in salary for promotion in rank for tenure-track and tenured faculty (corrects salary compression and inversion)
•         6% increase in salary for successful post-tenure review (assumed to be five-year intervals, and also corrects for compression and inversion)
•         1% raise in salary for successful annual reviews of non-tenure track faculty, research faculty, and Academic Professionals

We also stressed the need for certain guarantees with respect to summer session salary and for last-minute course cancellations.  Since many of these increases are not for everyone each year, the entire roll-up cost averages less than 5.5% per year of the contract (UofO got 6%).

The Administration’s economic proposals are as follows:

•         1% per year across the board increase in salary

•         Faculty continue to pay 5% of PEBB premiums

•         No increase in Faculty Development and Travel Funds


The Administration offered a package that made a few compromises to their previous positions that stripped our contract of some rights of workers with respect to their evaluations, but there was no movement on salary and benefits.  There are also no increases in the awards to faculty for faculty development and travel in their proposal.  There appears to be some compromise on Article 27 (Progressive Sanctions), but we are studying this to see it this meets our needs. 

NOTE:  Next Bargaining Session, Tuesday, November 19, 2013, 12:30-3:00pm in Smith room 327.

AFTER November 19:  We enter mediation.  This involves each team meeting in separate rooms with a mediator shuttling paper between us.  Our dates for mediation:  December 18, all day (9am on) in Market Center Building, 6th floor; and on December 19, all day (9am on) in Market Center Building, 6th floor.

SUPPORT AAUP BARGAINING: Please attend bargaining sessions.  Stay as long as you can.  Bring your colleagues, please.  Your presence makes a difference.