Faculty members strike at 14 universities in Pa.
More than 100,000 students affected
Unionized faculty members at 14 state universities in Pennsylvania went on strike and manned picket lines Wednesday, resulting in many classes at the schools serving more than 100,000 students to grind to a halt.
The state System of Higher Education said students affected by the strike were “required” to report to classes unless a university indicated otherwise. It was not clear how instruction would be provided, but the system administration noted “faculty have the legal right to decline to participate in a strike” and continue teaching. There were some early bumps. “I got to one of my classes early and was told, along with three other students, to leave before the class even started,” tweeted Tyler Elizabeth, who describes himself on Twitter as a member of the class of 2020 at Slippery Rock University. Slippery Rock, about 50 miles north of Pittsburgh, enrolls about 8,500 students.
The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties represents about 5,500 faculty and coaches. Association president Kenneth Mash said his group made an ill- fated final attempt to negotiate “through back channels” early Wednesday.
“Even on the picket lines, our phones will be on, should the state system decide it doesn’t want to abandon its students,” Mash said.
The administration said the sides made “significant progress,” reaching tentative agreements on more than a dozen issues including recruitment and retention of high- quality faculty and professional responsibilities of faculty outside the classroom.
The union rejected an offer of raises to all permanent and temporary faculty and the same health care package that other employees receive, the administration said.
It said on its website it withdrew proposals to require full- time, temporary faculty to teach five courses instead of four, to increase the cap on the number of temporary faculty from 25% to 30% and to allow graduate students to teach labs and clinics.
“These are difficult times for our universities, administration spokesman Kenn Marshall said. “If APSCUF won’t agree to share more of the costs for their own health care, like everyone else has, it will threaten our ability to keep tuition affordable for students.”
State universities affected by the strike are: Slippery Rock, Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg and West Chester.
The faculty contract expired June 30, 2015, and negotiations have been ongoing since late 2014. The state’s largest schools — Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh and Temple University — and Lincoln University are not affected by the strike .
Bloomsburg University, 80 miles north of Harrisburg, said on its website it will continue to operate “to the greatest extent possible.”
At Slippery Rock, the school website assured students that sports and other extracurricular activities will proceed — including homecoming this weekend. Striking teachers marched amiably Wednesday, targeting system Chancellor Frank Brogan with the chant, “Hey hey, ho ho, Frank Brogan has got to go.”
At East Stroudsburg University, 100 miles north of Philadelphia, teachers on the picket line chanted “What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Now!” At West Chester University, 35 miles west of Philadelphia, assistant professor Lisa Ruchti rallied more than a dozen pickets: “We need to make sure that smart, capable students have access to a public education.”
Gov. Tom Wolf said he was disappointed in the contract impasse. Wolf, a Democrat, said he increased funding to the state system by more than $ 30 million in less than two years, a 7.5% increase, “in order to begin restoring the harmful cuts” of former Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican.
“The shortsightedness on both sides is counter to my efforts on behalf of the system and hurts the dedicated professors and university staff, and students and their families who are paying tuition to these universities,” Wolf said. He urged both sides to continue negotiating.
Mash said Wolf spoke to both sides, encouraging them to settle.
“I find it shocking that Chancellor Frank Brogan would spit in the governor’s eye like that,” Mash said. “Through all of this, the governor has been a strong advocate for the students.”