Contract negotiations hit snag

CFA and CSU declare impasse

Because they could make no more progress with their contract negotiations, the California Faculty Association and the California State University board have reached an impasse.

The CFA and CSU have been in contract negotiations for almost one year since the expiration of their 1991-1993 contract.

Although over 30 contract articles have been resolved, the CSU and the CFA have reached an impasse on approximately five.

The CSU concurs the impasse was declared after the CFA announced it would not agree to their "Pay for Performance" program.

The program would work similar to that of the corporate and private sector. Pay raises would be given to instructors according to their performance and merit in their positions.

The CSU insists other state campuses across the country base their yearly raises on the same type of system.

"Very simply, the CSU insists that those faculty who contribute the most, in an era of limited resources and greater demands, should be compensated most strongly," CSU Chancellor Barry Munitz said.

The CFA insists they are not totally against the performance program, they just aren't comfortable with all the aspects. "We are willing to accept performance pay, we just want more time to figure out how to make it work," CFA president Mike Hassul said.

The CSU proposal for Performance pay requires the instructor to apply for a pay raise each year which will include a formal review of the instructors performance.

The campus president would then have the final decision on granting the raise the salary of the instructor, which, if not granted, would not be grievable.

The non-grievable clause is one of the major concerns the CFA has with the performance-based compensation, along with the fact that the CSU is not willing to guarantee that the funds would be available.

"If they can't guarantee our young faculty the funds for pay raises, they aren't dealing in good faith negotiations," Hassul said.

According to a press release from the CSU, the union is insisting that all statewide and campus CFA officers be completely relieved of teaching responsibilities in order to engage solely in union business.

"That is an out right lie," Hassul said.

At the present time the CSU has granted three WTU's (waited teaching unit) a campus, to be used as a free class period. These three units are normally used by the president.

The CFA is now requesting that those units be increased from the three that are normally granted, to 15 WTU's a campus.

If granted, the 15 WTU's would be divided among the officers on each campus. That would relieve only a few instructors from the equivalent of one class session each.

"I'm not trying to get out of teaching. I love to teach," Hassul said.

To conclude the impasse The Public Employment Relations Board will suggest a mediator be assigned from the State Conciliation Service.

Once a mediator has been selected, the mediation session will begin the first week in May.