State System Adds Myth Busters to Negotiation Website, Remains Committed to Reaching Fair Settlement

Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education placed on its website today a list of “myth busters,” seeking to correct misinformation that continues to circulate about the negotiations between the State System and its faculty union, APSCUF. The myth busters will be circulated in social media as well.

“Because negotiations are a fluid process, we want to be sure people have the most current, correct information, and understand how far the State System has moved from its earlier proposals,” said State System spokesman Kenn Marshall. “Our last offer to the union is considerably different from previous ones, and this should help people understand that.”

After rejecting the State System’s latest contract proposal early Wednesday morning, the faculty union went on strike.

“We remain committed to achieving a settlement that is fair to our faculty and to our students as quickly as possible. Even though there are no formal negotiating sessions underway, the State System is working hard to find a path forward,” Marshall said.

Here is the first list of myth busters:

MYTH: The State System’s proposal to APSCUF would require full-time, temporary faculty to teach five courses per semester instead of four.

FACT: This proposal was withdrawn.

MYTH: The State System’s proposal to APSCUF would allow graduate students to teach courses in place of regular faculty.

FACT: The State System had proposed allowing some graduate students, who would be selected by department faculty and who would be assigned a faculty mentor, the opportunity to gain teaching experience in instructional labs and clinics only. This proposal was withdrawn.

MYTH: The State System’s proposal would allow universities to increase the cap on the number of temporary faculty they could hire from 25% to 30%.

FACT: This proposal was withdrawn.

MYTH: The State System’s proposal would allow a university president to transfer a faculty member to another department regardless of whether they were qualified to teach in the new department.

FACT:  The State System had proposed only to eliminate a current requirement that before a qualified faculty member could be transferred, the faculty in the receiving department had to first approve the transfer in a vote held by secret ballot. This proposal was withdrawn.

MYTH: Under the State System’s proposal, only permanent faculty would receive raises.

FACT: The State System is offering pay increases to all faculty, permanent and temporary. Below are real-life examples of how the System’s proposal would benefit current faculty:

• A Bloomsburg University temporary faculty member teaching four courses who is currently earning $46,610 would see his salary increased to $48,022, plus benefits.

• An East Stroudsburg University associate professor currently earning $85,797 would see her base salary increase to $96,833, plus benefits. (This professor earned $23,605 in additional compensation last year.)

• A Mansfield University professor currently earning $112,239, would see his base salary increase to $120,572. (This professor earned $10,198 in additional compensation last year.)

MYTH: The State System’s proposal would treat the faculty unfairly regarding healthcare.

FACT:  The State System has offered the union the same high-quality healthcare package as our nurses, police and security officers, and all non-union employees, seeking to treat all employees equitably
MYTH: The State System’s proposal would eliminate the retiree healthcare benefit.

FACT: The retiree health benefit for current employees and retirees will continue unchanged. For anyone hired after January 1, 2019, the System would provide healthcare coverage for up to five years after retirement or until the retiree attained Medicare eligibility.

To view the negotiations website, please click here.

Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with more than 100,000 degree-seeking students and thousands more who are enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs. Collectively, the 14 universities that comprise the State System offer more than 2,300 degree and certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State System university alumni live in Pennsylvania.

The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.

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