Faculty set to vote on contract with State System of Higher Education

Five thousand state university faculty will vote next month on a tentative four-year labor pact between the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties and the State System of Higher Education.

The statewide balloting dates announced Tuesday come three months after union and management announced an agreement in principle covering the 10 state-owned universities. Among them in Western Pennsylvania are Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock University and Pennsylvania Western University (California, Clarion, Edinboro).

The union is expected to vote April 2-4 and tally votes April 5 at its Harrisburg office. If approved, the contract would require a vote by the State System’s board of governors.

Union delegates from all system campuses met Monday via a video call and voted to recommend the tentative agreement move forward to membership for ratification.

The parties have withheld details pending final approval of the agreement.

“There is a lot to be proud of in this agreement,” union President Kenneth Mash said. “We think it will reflect well on the entire State System of Higher Education. We appreciate the hard work that went into this agreement by all involved, and we especially appreciate the chancellor’s participation and collaboration.”

State System Chancellor Daniel Greenstein said the pact would advance redesign of the system while investing in faculty and acknowledging their efforts during the pandemic.

Greenstein said “it addresses the challenges confronting U.S. higher education and serves our students and the commonwealth even better.”

The most-recent faculty contract expired June 30, and by law the provisions of that agreement continue until a new collective bargaining agreement is ratified.

Union coaches, who bargain separately, are still in contract talks. Their next negotiation sessions are slated for March 20 and March 25.

The 10 universities enroll nearly 83,000 students.

In addition to the Western Pennsylvania campuses, State System member universities are Cheyney, Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Millersville, Shippensburg and West Chester.