Negotiations/Action Update 7/1/03

“Something NOTHING for everybody…maybe?” seems to be the theme of June’s negotiating session. Actual proposals or links to these proposals are to be on the web for faculty review at www.ifo.org As such, this message is more of an editorial.  In a nutshell, MnSCU’s lead negotiator, Chris Dale, indicated “the employer will incur no additional costs.” MnSCU intends to enact a “hard freeze.” Further Dale said, “If there are other new costs to the employer, we reserve the right to change our [economic] proposal.” They are calling their proposal a “contingency offer.” Even if we were to accept their offer, they are indicating they reserve the right to change it. The theme of this report is nothing for everyone. What is meant by this is that aside from no increases in salary over both years of the biennium, MnSCU proposes: no promotion steps, no increase for those notifying their intent to retire, no career step advances, no additional travel or professional improvement funds….  They want to begin charging bereavement leave against faculty sick leave. This is more than a freeze, it is a take back.  

When we pointed out that even the University of Minnesota was allowing for some kind of an increase over the biennium albeit in the second year. We were told by Dale that the University of Minnesota “sounds like a nice place to work.” Rod Henry, negotiator from Bemidji, responded that we would like to have a nice place to work too.” Perhaps we are being encouraged to seek disaffiliation from MnSCU so that we might find a nicer place to work. Given the slippage of the state university’s share of the MnSCU financial pie, it might not be a bad idea. According to Jim Pehler, IFO President, we have moved from around 51% to about 47% over the last several years.  Not only are we struggling with our own economic challenges, we are increasingly supporting the two-year colleges and the system office.

The negotiators from various campuses summed up this session with several succinct quotes. The most succinct was “Why bother?” Regarding the sense of their economic proposal, another said, “Beware the burn artist in any context…Up is high, down is low and only God can make a tree.”  Another quote was “As anticipated. The proposal they made yesterday was everything I expected…sloppy, full of radical changes, poorly thought through….”  Perhaps the last quote captures the spirit of the team, “A [expletive deleted] waste of time!”

At this point, the IFO and MnSCU have not set a date for further negotiations. A number of variables have yet to be defined such as MnSCU Board decisions regarding tuition, coalition insurance bargaining. Really, in light of, MnSCU’s new contingency based bargaining technique, there is not much point in resuming until MnSCU feels they can make genuine offers, not contingent ones. For a detailed view of the IFO’s initial proposals presented at this round of negotiations visit the IFO website at: www.ifo.org . MnSCU proposals will be available on the web. Once we have been provided the URL, they can be reached at the IFO site as well. Share your thoughts and concerns with your local Faculty Association leaders, your negotiators, and particularly, your action coordinators. Your feed back is important and welcome. 

Christopher R. Brown
State Action Coordinator
President, Bemidji State University Faculty Association
crbrown@bemidjistate.edu
218/755-3780