CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — October 19 is the date set by APSCUF (Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties) for a strike at Clarion University and the other 13 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education if the System does not negotiate a “fair” contract.

APSCUF President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash visited with faculty at Clarion University Tuesday afternoon and met with media to say that a strike was the last thing he wanted to see and is willing to negotiate 24-7 if that is what is needed.

“I hope not and that’s the last thing we want to see happen,” said Mash. “I don’t think any faculty member wants there to be a strike, and that’s the reason we’ve gone two years negotiating.  Now we’re 450 days of being with an expired contract, but when we hit this late point, and we see the positions from the State System being as insulting as they are attacking academic quality like they do, sometimes you just have to stand up and make yourself heard a loud way in order to make a difference.”

Another day of negotiations was announced for Thursday, and while there is still hope for settling a contract (APSCUF has never actually went out on a strike since the formation of the State System in 1983), but Mash also feels the two sides are still far apart.

“We’re really, really far apart because they’re still saying that in order to get raises similar to what every other statewide union got, we would have to give up lots of money in our health care,” said Mash. “We would have to give up on several issues that would impact on academic quality and several other givebacks as well. It adds up to tens of million of dollars that they want back.  At this point, we’re miles and miles apart.”

APSCUF objects to State System proposals that would affect the quality of education faculty members could provide to their students.

According to APSCUF, such proposals would, among other issues:

• Increase the number of temporary faculty and lead to reductions in permanent faculty who are in a better position to devote themselves to their students.

• Allow students to be taught by new graduate students — new college graduates — instead of faculty with advanced degrees.

• Cut funding for faculty scholarship and professional development that allows faculty to bring current knowledge to students.

• Give university presidents unilateral authority to transfer faculty members to other departments.

“We pledge to go to the table as often as necessary,” continued Mash.  “We just added a date on Thursday, so we’re going back then, so we hope that we can resolve this and put it behind all of us.”

Asked if there is anything Clarion University can do to prevent a strike, Mash said University President Karen Whitney could do something.

“I think the university president can do something,” said Mash.  “The university presidents have made a point to us that they’re playing a bigger role in these negotiations than ever before.  At one point, they were bragging about that, but I’m not sure they are bragging about that now because now it means they have to take some responsibility, too.  I do think that the president can make a difference, and she can be in contact with the Chancellor’s Office and make a case that a strike would not be good for Clarion University.”

“I don’t think that anyone thinks that a strike would be good for the university as far as public relations goes, as far as making it a good place to go to school, so I think students should be in contact with the university president and say ‘Hey do what you can to see that this never happens on October 19,’ just like I think it’s appropriate for them to contact the Chancellor of the State System and say something similar like ‘go to the table, be serious, protect academic quality.’”

Mash believes that the two sides are very far apart, and recently APSCUF offered what he called a major health care concession, but the System came back with a counter offer that was actually the same as when “marathon” negotiation sessions started.

Asked how APSCUF could convince residents of Clarion County about the need for support of a contract, Mash admitted there were many side issues in addition to the salary issues.

“There are lots of side issues, but we’re not going to run away from the salary issue,” said Mash. “It’s a very tough thing, and certainly, we feel for all of the people in the Commonwealth and their struggles, which is why as an organization we support increases in the minimum wage, we support all kinds of policies meant to bring everybody up.”  

“When we’re looking at our universities, and our university in Clarion County is the biggest employer.  To run a university and bring in the kinds of qualified professors to teach the courses, the competition is not who’s in Clarion County.  The competition is all of universities in the country.  The job market is not related to what is going on in Clarion County, it’s related to the market for professors throughout the country because you want to attract and retain them here.”

“On top of that, if you look at the impact of the university makes on the economy, a state system survey says that for every one dollar that’s given by the commonwealth to the universities, $11 gets returned back to the economy.  Obviously, the university drives the economy here, and it being successful means that the county is more successful.”

“If we start to do some things that are going to impact academic quality, and students don’t come, that’s going to have an impact on the county as a whole.  If we don’t attract quality faculty members to come here, students will notice the difference. They won’t be coming to Clarion.”

(Clarion University faculty members Lorie Taylor and Chris McCormick talk with APSCUF President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash and Clarion APSCUF President Ray Feroz.)

Ray Feroz, president of Clarion University APSCUF, echoes some of Mash remarks.

“Nobody wants a strike,” said Feroz.  “I represent the faculty here. We don’t want a strike.  We want to teach our classes, we want to do our research, we want to read our scholarly publications, we want to engage in community service like so many of our faculty do.  We don’t want a strike, but on the other hand rather than have the demise of public education in Pennsylvania, we will strike and go on the picket line.  We’re solid as a faculty that way.”

While a strike is not wanted by APSUF, and contract resolution is desired, Mash feels there is faculty support for a strike, if needed.

“I have been around at the campuses, and when I talk to faculty, I have been heartened by the support that we get.  I think everybody understands what is at stake.  There are faculty member that had many job interviews, and the place they chose to come was Clarion University, but they came here because of the type of university it was.  Pulling the run out from underneath them and this is not the place they thought they were going to be at and spending their careers at.  We’re not going to sit idly by and watch our administrators turn our universities into Trump University.  It just isn’t going to happen.”