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	Vol.7, No 15, September 23, 1999
	CFA angry over raise process By Jason Kosareff Daily Forty-Niner  Although the California State University system and the California Faculty Association have hammered out a new contract agreement, some Cal State Long Beach faculty members have come across their own roadblocks.  In an e-mail letter to faculty members, Hamdi Bilici, CFA President for the CSULB chapter, contended that some deans and department chairs have been trying to bypass faculty decisions regarding merit pay. "If this is true, this is intimidation and against the contract," Bilici stated in the letter.  Merit pay, a performance-based salary raise that may be given to qualified faculty members, was one of the most hotly debated topics during the contract negotiations in spring of 1999. To decide if faculty members are worthy of a raise, a committee of department members will first read the reports, then the department chairman, then a college committee and then the dean of that college. The campus president has final say over whether faculty members get a raise.  Bilici's complaints stem from an e-mail he received from a faculty member alleging a dean was trying to eliminate the faculty from the decision-making process on merit-pay raises. Bilici declined to name the author of the e-mail message.  "Deans cannot have their own evaluation and interfere with faculty process as well," Bilici wrote in his letter to faculty.   Bilici said it is a "gross violation of contractual law" if some individuals decide to alter the merit-pay process. "Faculty has a right to do its evaluation as they see fit," he wrote.  Faculty might be more inclined to give equal pay raises based on mutual respect for each otherís work, said Martin Fiebert, CSULB professor of psychology. "The chancellor wants a corporate model where there is quite a difference in pay for the same work," said Fiebert. "There is pressure to change the culture from academic to corporate."  "The university certainly respects the departments," Reichard said. "But the demonstrated performance among faculty is not exactly equal." Deans, department chairs or anyone else making decisions not consulting faculty recommendations are committing a ìvery serious violation of due process,î Bilici wrote. Reichard was not sure which deans Bilici has called "brow beaters," but he said it is possible some deans may have said more than they are allowed to on how department heads handle the FMI process.		CFA angry over raise process Students welcomed to mixer New system makes e-mail easier Mentor program gives support, helps with pressures of life Toys don't kill Threats no joke WWF sues bunny Ol' Dirty Bastard does it again with new album 'Tootsie' and 'The Big Chill' make good rentals Injuries hamper 49ers Haneef blocks opponents' way LBSU soccer team tries for two this weekend Men's polo looks to rebound after tough week Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.