The Sound of Settling

NEWS - the Classified and Part Time Faculty Unions have ratified the deal offered by the Administration and will return to work on Tuesday. The Full Time Faculty, due to the unwieldy size of their membership and complexity of issues, will ratify tonight and return to the classroom tomorrow. This is not 100% certain, but it looks good.

The truth behind this settlement is sad and twisted. I would like to be able to say that the Administration came to its senses and realized the wisdom of paying hard working people a living wage etc. But the truth is that it was the Union, through it's connections, who called on PA Congressman Bob Brady to use his influence to secure a promise of money from the State to pay the Teachers and Staff the shortfall in their cost of living salary increases, the $160,000 total a year that the Administration was deciding not to pay them.

After securing the funds and convincing the Chair of the Board, Daniel P. McElhatton, to suggest to the Board that the new State money be included in the Union's salaries settlement the Board voted to REJECT the offer!!! This is reprehensible. (Refer to my post of March 21, "What is Really Going on Here?") Why would the Board push away the life raft offered by the State? The obvious answer is that they did not want to lose. They had obviously decided not to negotiate. In the end they were strong-armed to include the State money, but only as "bonuses" for the Teachers and Staff, not as part of their salaries.

It would seem to many that the obstinacy of this Board has caused and prolonged this unfortunate strike and inconvenienced students and all members of the College Community.