Trustees seek responsible workload, fiscal balance
September 23, 2011
The chairman of the Cincinnati State Board of Trustees expressed disappointment Friday that the union representing full-time faculty chose to begin the first strike in the history of the college, and said the administration’s offer concerning workload was reasonable.
Board chairman Michael Oestreicher also said the College would continue to operate normally while the strike is in progress.
“We’re not asking anybody to work any harder than they’re already working,’’ Oestreicher said. “We remain committed to our excellent faculty, but we simply cannot meet union demands to pay somebody more for significantly less work.’’
Negotiators from the College and the Cincinnati State Chapter of the American Association of University Professors held a bargaining session that began at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22 and lasted until late that night but were unable to resolve the key remaining issue involving faculty workload.
“We have heard loud and clear the faculty’s concern about workload compared to their counterparts at other Ohio two-year colleges,’’ Oestreicher said.
“The current proposal would not add to their current workload. Cincinnati State’s impending conversion to semesters in 2012 makes this a complex issue and makes the issue of pay difficult to standardize,’’ he added. “Recognizing this, we have made a serious proposal to develop – jointly with them – new approaches to workload parity consistent with academic excellence, institutional integrity and fiscal responsibility.’’
Incoming board chair Cathy Crain said the college takes the workload parity issue quite seriously, and is willing to work with the AAUP to closely compare conditions at Cincinnati State with peer institutions across Ohio that have or are in the process of converting to semesters.
The College and the AAUP have been in negotiations over a new three-year contract since May. The current contract expired Sept. 5. Until today the AAUP had been working under terms of that agreement.
On Sept. 12 a Fact-Finder appointed by the State Employment Relations Board issued a report and recommendations concerning 24 unresolved issues presented by the two sides. The College Board of Trustees voted Sept. 14 to accept the recommendations. The AAUP voted to reject them on Sept. 15.
The AAUP represents approximately 200 full-time faculty members at the College.
Cincinnati State also employs about 550 adjuncts and approximately 325 administrative/staff workers.
