Pa. university board approves contract

Pa. university board approves contract

	Published : Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:17 By : Agencies Print this Story

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The governing board of Pennsylvania's 14 state-owned universities approved a new four-year contract Thursday that gives raises to about 5,900 unionized faculty members and expands benefits for same-sex partners.

The contract, which the union ratified Tuesday by a 2-1 margin is retroactive to July 1 and runs through June 30, 2011. The State System of Higher Education board of governors approved it 14-2.

The dissenting votes were cast by state Reps. Matthew Baker, R-Tioga, and Mike Hanna, D-Clinton, who said they opposed the expansion of benefits for same-sex partners. Those benefits, which had been limited under the previous contract to family leave and sick leave, were expanded to include health care and tuition waivers.

Board Chairman Ken Jarin said the agreement provides fair and reasonable salary increases that will help the system control spiraling health care costs.

Each of the faculty members will get an immediate $1,750 cash bonus, followed by raises of 3 percent in the second and third years of the contract and 4 percent in the fourth year. The average nine-month salary for full-time faculty was $70,000 in the 2006-07 academic year.

The contract also maintains employees' health-insurance contribution rate of 10 percent until the fourth year, when it will increase to 15 percent. Faculty will be required to participate in a wellness program in the final two years of the contract or pay a premium surcharge.

The professors had threatened to strike if no new agreement was reached before the old contract expired June 30, but both sides announced a tentative agreement July 2.

The state system universities are: Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester.