Daily Egyptian 02
Fall 2002
Faculty Senate to address strike possibility
Ben Botkin
Daily Egyptian
With members of the Faculty Association facing a vote next week that could lead to a strike, another group on campus will make a decision today regarding the issue.
The Faculty Senate will vote at its meeting today on a resolution that urges the SIUC administration and Faculty Association to resume bargaining and work out differences.
The purpose of the resolution is simply to encourage negotiations to resume with more progress, not make a statement about what the contract's terms should be, said Donna Post, president of the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate is a constituency group that addresses academic issues of union and non-union faculty.
The resolution notes that a Faculty Association strike would not be in the best interests of student coursework and progress toward graduation.
But the Faculty Senate, if it votes in favor of the measure, is not telling the union's members to not strike if the Faculty Association votes in favor of that, Post said.
"We do not want to say, 'Don't strike,' if that's what the association decides," she said. "What we're saying is, 'Please continue talking.'"
At this point, negotiations between the administration and Faculty Association have stalled, with the possibility of a strike hanging over the University.
Members of the Faculty Association will vote Nov. 18 to 20 on a measure that would allow the union's president, Morteza Daneshdoost, to call a strike on or before Feb. 3, 2003.
Daneshdoost said that if union members support the measure, the Faculty Association will go on strike if a contract settlement isn't reached by February. He also said a strike may be called before February if the union believes sufficient progress has not been made.
The University has also charged the Faculty Association with regressive bargaining, failing to bargain in good faith and threatening to strike about issues both sides are not required to discuss during negotiations. Mark Brittingham, the attorney for SIUC, said he is not aware of any response from the union.
The Faculty Association filed an intent to strike notice Oct. 30, shortly after the University offered a salary package that included a wage freeze for this year and raises during the next four years that are proportional with state dollars allocated for wage increases. The administration rejected a proposal from the union that called for a 21 percent increase in salaries and benefits, saying the state's unstable economic condition does not make wage increases realistic.
Still, there are many issues besides salaries, said James Kelly, an associate professor of journalism and chair of the union's public information committee. Some sticking points include workloads, layoffs and academic freedom, he said.
Kelly said the union appreciates the input from the Faculty Senate but also has an important job to do.
"The Faculty Senate has no direct control over the working conditions of faculty," Kelly said. "While we appreciate the advice that the Faculty Senate delivers, the Faculty Association does have power to negotiate working conditions and our primary focus must be on exercising that power.
Reporter Ben Botkin can be reached at bbotkin@dailyegyptian.com
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Last update: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 at 3:47:37 AM
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