State System, faculty union agree on 1-year contract

Leadership of the 14 state-owned universities and the faculty union that struck those campuses last year announced Tuesday that they had reached agreement on a one-year contract, eight months before the current pact was to expire.

The agreement between more than 5,000 members of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties and the State System of Higher Educationruns through June 30, 2019,officials said.

If affirmed by the union’s rank and file and by the State System's board of governors, it would succeed the current labor agreement due to expire at the end of June.

“We have been committed to working together to achieve a new agreement in a collaborative manner,” State System interim chancellorKaren Whitney said in a joint union-management statement announcing the deal. “As we move toward a positive conclusion for this contract, I’m hopeful it will lead to an even more meaningful relationship based on mutualrespect and trust.”

The union expressed similar sentiment. “After our previous contract negotiations, we were determined to improve the overall negotiations process, and I am happy to report that our communication with the System vastly improved with these talks,” said APSCUF president Kenneth M. Mash. “We are happy that we were able to bypass the anxiety that has accompanied every previous contract negotiation in recent memory and that we can give our full attention to our students.”

Officials said specifics would not be disclosed until both sides ratify the tentative accord.

The three-day strike in October 2016 was the first in the State System's more than three-decade history.

About 105,000 students attended State System campuses as of last year. In addition to California, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana and Slippery Rock universities, the 14 campuses include Bloomsburg, Cheyney, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg and West Chester universities.