California State University faculty members are reacting with both astonishment and anger to an action by the CSU Board of Trustees to unilaterally impose conditions on bargaining for the second year in a row.
Acting on a recommendation by Chancellor Charles Reed, the board took the action in January just weeks after a neutral factfinder issued a decision that could have served as the basis for a settlement in contract negotiations. The bargaining team for the California Faculty Association (CFA) had been engaged in a contract reopener over salaries and benefits for the past nine months, but ran up against a stumbling block over basic fairness in the determination of faculty salaries and over the administration¹s failure to alter a merit pay program that faculty has opposed since its inception two years ago.
Despite the factfinder's report in favor of CFA ‹ including the recommendation that the Faculty Merit Increase program be "rethought" - the board moved toward imposing conditions instead.
It quickly became clear that CFA's hope for a settlement that would move toward a more cooperative bargaining relationship would not materialize, said CFA's board of directors in a statement that was released to the news media. "Instead of cooperation and compromise, Reed has decided to impose a decision, because he has the power to do so. This misuse of power will have a negative impact on faculty, students and the mission of CSU for some time to come."
Meanwhile, faculties at campuses around the state are protesting the actions of the CSU board and the chancellor.
Academic senates at CSU Stanislaus and Dominguez Hills have adopted resolutions of no confidence in the chancellor, urging the board to replace him. Other campuses are expected to follow their lead.
At the request of CFA representatives, CTA's State Council also passed a resolution to support CFA faculty and to write letters in support of CFA to government officials including Gov. Gray Davis, Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg, the chancellor, the president of the Board of Trustees and CSU presidents.
"We have a chancellor who has a total disregard for a fair contract," says Roberta Alquist, a San Jose State professor and CFA member.
"Faculty are very disappointed," agrees Leo Kirchhoff, CFA member at Chico State University. "We're doing everything from e-mailing our president to rallying the troops."
Leni Cook, president of the CFA chapter at Dominguez Hills, is also shocked that the board would impose conditions following the factfinder's report. But she has been upset by a number of the chancellor's actions. "He is imposing year-round operations on a number of facilities without faculty input. He expects us to 'deal with it,' yet there just has been no consultation."
Faculty at the 22 CSU campuses have been upset over the chancellor's faculty merit increase program, which they see as fostering favoritism and interfering with collegiality on campus. CFA has proposed that the two-year-old program be suspended for the third year of the contract and the dollars be allocated to other salary purposes. An attempt by CFA negotiators to develop an alternative program in collaboration with CSU was turned down by the administration.
CFA has maintained that the faculty merit increase is not about 'merit,' but about presidential discretion. The administration has made numerous attempts to reduce faculty merit awards below department recommendations.
CFA notes that a similar program implemented by Reed when he was chancellor of Florida's state university system was abandoned after three years due to faculty opposition.
CFA leaders say they are concerned that the current imposition of conditions will have "an immediate and chilling effect" on full contract bargaining, which is set to begin soon. The union is calling on every faculty member as well as students, alumni and legislators to work to ensure that the chancellor and his administration display respect and collegiality for the faculty, which they say, has been woefully absent.
"To impose conditions twice on the largest public bargaining unit - we're not very happy about this," says CFA President Susan Meisenhelder. "We're gearing up for what promises to be a tough round of bargaining in the spring."
