Faculty Association says university wants to reduce health contributions by 15 to 20 percent in negotiations

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The university is proposing no immediate increase in pay and a reduction in health benefits in negotiations with the Faculty Association, according to a Facebook post from a faculty member.

The administration has deemed the faculty “unreasonable” and therefore requested mediation, said the post by Jeffrey Weinstock, English language and literature professor, as a statement from FA on the Facebook group “Friends of CMU Faculty.”

“The information was released because the Faculty Association is extremely alarmed by the dangerous concessions the administration is demanding and the aggressive approach to bargaining that has been adopted,” Weinstock said in an email.

Timothy Connors, FA president and communication and dramatic arts professor, confirmed the following proposals made by the administration in negotiations with the faculty:

• Reduction of 15 to 20% in CMU’s contribution toward health care costs
• Flat rate pay increase of $0 for 2011-12, $600 each semester for 2012-13 and $750 each semester for 2013-14
• Removal of department chairs from the bargaining unit
• Removal of coaches, counselors and librarians from the bargaining unit
• An increase in the time between applications for Professor Salary Supplement
• A decrease in the amount awarded for promotions
• Additional concessions in retention, promotion and tenure requirements
• Flat rate pay scale for summer teaching
• Retirement contributions based on 10- or 12-month base salary, not including additional compensation for overloads or other sources

The initial post included incorrect figures for the flat pay increases offered, Connors said.

The university was contacted for a response to the release of information, but referred questions to the Monday release which confirmed CMU’s request for mediation.

Ron Primeau, also an English language and literature professor, said cooperation between the university and the FA has been a model to the nation, and he worries a national trend in distaste for state-employed workers could harm the efforts.

He urged fellow faculty and others concerned by the university’s stance in negotiations to join the FA’s campaign in emailing CMU administrators involved in the bargaining process.

“We’re just trying to tell people what we are about,” Primeau said.