FA President Laura Frey responds to stalemate after Shapiro writes email to faculty, staff
Central Michigan University's administration and Faculty Association have reached an "impasse," or stalemate, Provost Gary Shapiro said in an "Open Letter to the CMU Community."
He sent the letter to faculty and staff at about noon Tuesday, saying the administration is waiting to use fact-finding as a basis for a new contract. It is unlikely the two sides would reach agreement without the outside perspective of the independent fact-finder, he said.
"One side believes the university has adequate resources and should use these resources to increase the compensation of faculty," Shapiro said. "The other side believes the important issue is whether faculty compensation is appropriate in relation to comparable universities."
Shapiro, who said he was trained as a social psychologist with a dissertation on the different forms of justice, said the two sides' different perspectives of "rewards" have led to the impasse.
"Interestingly, I believe this same dynamic has brought us to where we are today — far apart on a handful of key issues because the two sides fundamentally see things differently," Shapiro said.
Shapiro said the major remaining differences revolve around compensation — principally the size and timing of salary increases for faculty (the university is not proposing any reduction of salary) and the amount of university contributions to medical insurance.
FA President Laura Frey responded to Shapiro's email with concern about his statements.
The FA is not okay with waiting until mid- to late-November for any forward progress, she said.
"I do believe that in addition to being concerned about attending classes, students are very concerned that there is an administration on this campus that does not treat faculty fairly, does not treat any employees fairly," she said. "The students can see the link between unfair treatment to faculty and a lack of quality in recruiting and retaining faculty and (the) connection that can have on their education."
Shapiro said many would agree the inability of the two sides to reach a contract has become a major distraction and created an atmosphere counterproductive to the mission of CMU.
Most students are more concerned about attending classes, earning degrees and participating in campus life than they are about who is right or wrong, he said.
