Academy for Academic Personnel Administration
Fall 2003
Round Table Report
1. Institution Information
Name of Institution/System: The University of Scranton
Name of Individual Responding: Abigail Byman
Title of Individual Responding: General Counsel and University Secretary
2a. Description of Faculty Bargaining Unit(s) – Size and Composition
Full-time faculty including department chairpersons and librarians – 250 members out of 253 full-time faculty.
Bargaining Agent: Faculty Affairs Council – Affiliated with AAUP
Date of First Contract: 1975
Number of Succeeding Contracts: Approximately 10
2b. Description of Faculty Bargaining Unit(s) – Size and Composition
Number of Succeeding Contracts:
2c. Description of Faculty Bargaining Unit(s) – Size and Composition
Number of Succeeding Contracts:
2d. Description of Faculty Bargaining Unit(s) – Size and Composition
Number of Succeeding Contracts:
3. Activity Report (e.g., status of current agreement or negotiations, details of last contract settlement, etc.):
2003-2006 contract was negotiated and tentative settlement reached at the end of May, too late for a faculty vote. Both sides will meet in late August, with a faculty vote to follow hopefully shortly thereafter.
4. Special or noteworthy happenings (e.g., relevant arbitration or court decisions, organizing campaigns, labor agency decisions, etc.)
While the University did not take advantage of the Great Falls case a year ago, it is still out there, and our new President may eventually reach a different conclusion. It was not invoked last year because of fears of litigation expenses and campus and community disruption.
5. Special happenings related to fiscal issues (e.g., salary reductions, health and dental insurance costs, reductions in force, early retirement programs, program consolidation or elimination, etc.):
Large raises were avoided, as were large increases in health care costs to faculty. The early retirement program proposed by the faculty was unaffordable and rejected. Both sides presented workload proposals, and a significant compromise was reached. Most importantly from the administration’s perspective, there is a step toward faculty accountability, in that there is a form of post-tenure review every three years for each faculty member in the tentative agreement.
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