Negotiation process is headed to fact-finding

Contract negotiations between Cincinnati State AAUP and the College administration are moving to fact-finding.

Unresolved issues will be presented to a neutral fact-finder who will then make recommendations for resolving portions of the contracts for AAUP Bargaining Units 1 and 2.

A request for names of possible fact-finders was sent to the State Employment Relations Board (SERB) on Aug. 23. The process of confirming a fact-finder will take at least a week.

Meanwhile, provisions of the current AAUP contracts will remain in effect.

“It’s very disappointing that the administration is still unwilling to move on positions that faculty simply cannot agree to,” said Faculty Chief Negotiator Greg Klein.

A bargaining session on Aug. 23, with Mediator Joe Wilson in attendance, did not lead to any significant changes in administration proposals related to compensation and workload issues.

“The Faculty Bargaining Team has been working hard since May to try to reach an agreement with the administration,” Greg said.

“The Mediator confirmed to our team that the administration was unwilling to make compromises that we could bring back to our members as part of a fair and reasonable contract agreement,” Greg said.

“We’re confident that we will be able to show evidence to a fact-finder demonstrating that our positions are appropriate and affordable,” Greg said.

Details of unresolved issues were discussed at the AAUP Chapter meetings on Aug. 19 and 20, and are described in the AAUP Newsletter available online at https://cinstateaaup.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/AAUP_News_08-21-21.pdf.

Faculty Team member Abbey Yee said, “We need a contract that faculty can get behind. Faculty need to be excited about coming back to work, and instead we’re being forced to start a new academic year with faculty morale low, while stress continues to be high.”

Faculty Team member Julie McLaughlin said, “It’s frustrating that this administration seems unwilling to recognize years of hard work by faculty to serve our students and keep this College going strong. If we want the College to continue to attract and keep high-quality faculty, the administration needs to do better than what has been offered to us in bargaining so far.”

Faculty members with questions or concerns should contact AAUP Chapter President Pam Ecker.