From Senior Vice President Nancy Pringle, Provost Linda Petrosino, and Professor Gwen Seaquist, representatives of the Ithaca College bargaining committee.
The Ithaca College bargaining team is writing to provide an update on progress as of February 2, 2017, in the negotiations with our part-time faculty union.
We have made meaningful progress. During the past 15 months, we have reached tentative agreements on 23 separate articles for a collective bargaining agreement. Most recently, we have now reached tentative agreements on the issues of length of appointments and benefits.
Thanks in part to the help of the neutral federal mediator, who has worked with both sides since December, we now have only three provisions remaining under negotiation with the part-time unit:
The recognition clause. This is a basic clause that defines which positions are included in the bargaining unit.
Pay for union business time. The union is requesting that the college compensate union leaders for time they spend conducting union business.
Wages. Today we submitted a new wage increase proposal to the union. The union is currently reviewing that proposal. They have agreed that during our next scheduled session on February 21, they will come prepared with a response to that proposal and resume negotiations with the help of the federal mediator.
As we continue negotiating wages, we must bear in mind that our first responsibility is the delivery of the complete educational experience to the students. Inherent in that responsibility to our students is that we must deliver that educational experience in a manner that ensures the economic health and long-term viability of the college.
We sincerely believe that the approach that will benefit all constituencies is to remain at the bargaining table, bargain in good faith toward reaching an agreement, and use the skills of the federal mediator to assist both sides in bringing closure to these negotiations.
We understand that there is anxiety on campus about a potential strike. We remain committed to the bargaining process, and we are hopeful that a positive outcome will soon be reached. Our students have the right to expect that faculty remain in the classroom and deliver the courses they have paid to receive. As we continue to make progress in bargaining, we hope that our part-time faculty will bear in mind the responsibility they have to our students to deliver the courses they have been contracted to provide.
We will continue to keep you updated on our progress.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20170202164815801