More discussion of compensation & other topics on July 20 & 21

The Faculty and Administration bargaining teams met on Monday, July 20, for about 2 1/2 hours, and on Tuesday, July 21, for about 3 1/2 hours. Outside of the formal bargaining sessions, the Faculty team members spent about 6 hours planning and preparing.

The teams reached additional tentative agreements on contract language about faculty participation in shared governance, and on some changes to contract language about disciplinary processes.

Other topics discussed on July 20 and 21 included compensation and workload, as well as new contract language related to Senate Bill 1 requirements for annual performance reviews and for situations that could lead to post-tenure review.

Faculty Team members said the discussions about workload and compensation this week have been collegial for the most part, along with some moments of tension.

Faculty Team Co-leader Julie McLaughlin said, “Compared to other times I’ve been part of the Faculty Bargaining Team, the conversations we’ve been having at the table about compensation seem to be much more candid. We still have a long way to go to get to an agreement, but especially during bargaining on Tuesday, it seemed like the administration team was really listening to our ideas and our concerns.”

Faculty Team Co-leader Pam Ecker said, “There are still several important topics to discuss where we haven’t yet reached an agreement, and it still feels at times like we have to keep persuading the administration team that our faculty members are doing a lot of great work for the College. However, we’re also getting the impression that the administration team– like our team– wants to make real progress toward settling all of the unresolved issues.”

The next bargaining session is scheduled for Thursday, July 23, and additional bargaining is scheduled for Friday, July 24.

The AAUP officers encourage faculty members to attend the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, July 28, starting at 3:45 p.m. in the Conference Center.  If the Trustees maintain their previously-announced timeline for the Presidential Search, the next Cincinnati State President could be announced at the July 28 Board meeting.

Faculty members with questions about negotiations should contact AAUP Chapter President Abbey Yee.