APSCUF faculty, coaches vote in favor of state system contract
HARRISBURG – Faculty and coaches are one step closer to new contracts after union members at Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities voted to ratify their respective tentative agreements. According to a news release from the faculty representatives, of APSCUF faculty members who voted, 94 percent were in favor of the deal. Of coach members who voted, 100 percent cast their ballots affirmatively. The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties does not tally results by campus.
After members voted Monday through Wednesday, APSCUF tallied ballots today in its Harrisburg office. With this step complete, the documents go to Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors for approval. The State System announced today the board will act on the contract at a meeting Dec. 20.
APSCUF said it will post the full contract on its website after ratification is complete.
“Our faculty and coaches look forward to the State System Board of Governors completing the ratification process,” APSCUF President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash said. “Our faculty and coaches relish the opportunity to educate our students without the distraction of a contract dispute. APSCUF will continue to advocate for quality public higher education because our students deserve it and because of the vast benefits our universities provide to all Pennsylvanians.”
The faculty negotiations team reached its three-year tentative agreement Oct. 21. The proposed settlement followed a 3-day faculty strike, the first in the 33 year history of the state system. The union release said, “To preserve quality education, APSCUF accepted concessions to benefits in exchange for eliminating most of the 249 changes the State System proposed in June. Also for the sake of students, APSCUF agreed to a salary package that was lower than that of other unions.”
Coaches, who bargain separately, reached their tentative agreement Oct. 27. The four-year deal provides reasonable salary increases for coach members while keeping the costs of their healthcare plan affordable, APSCUF Coach Executive Leader John Gump said that day.
Both previous contracts expired June 30, 2015, and negotiations had been ongoing since late 2014.
APSCUF represents about 5,500 faculty and coaches at the State System universities: Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania.
