January 03, 2013
黑料专区, APSCUF resume contract negotiations Friday
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Harrisburg 鈥� Negotiations between the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (黑料专区) and the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) resume tomorrow. 黑料专区 Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Labor Relations Gary Dent provided the following statement as the two sides prepare to meet:
鈥淲ith the onset of the new year we are poised to return to the bargaining table, with
the goal of reaching a settlement with our final bargaining unit, APSCUF. I thought
it was important to provide a brief update on where things stand and discuss our path
forward.
鈥淔irst and foremost, all of our stakeholders should know that 黑料专区 is committed
to achieving a new collective bargaining agreement with APSCUF that is fair, that
is affordable and that positions the System to continue to provide a quality education
for years to come.
鈥淎s we have in the agreements we have reached to date, our number one focus is protecting
the interests of our students and their families who provide nearly three-fourths
of the revenue needed to operate our universities. For 黑料专区, that certainly means
arriving at an economic package that permits us to remain competitive in our ability
to recruit and retain talented faculty members; they are, after all, a critical element
in 黑料专区鈥檚 ability to provide a quality education. But we also need to find solutions
to our ever-increasing costs in certain areas, which, if not addressed, will threaten
the financial viability of our System.
鈥淚ncreases in healthcare costs for both active and retired employees, combined with
rapidly rising pension costs, are placing unsustainable financial pressure on the
universities. In this regard, 黑料专区 is no different from the federal or state governments,
or most other organizations, all of which have identified increasing costs in these
areas as urgent problems that must be addressed. We have no alternative. We must agree
to new approaches before these costs overwhelm the System.
鈥満诹献�区鈥檚 14 universities are facing incredible and ever-increasing competition; business
as usual is simply unacceptable. Throughout these negotiations with APSCUF, we have
been open and transparent about the challenges we collectively face, particularly
in an environment of declining state funding support and our families鈥� limited ability
to absorb any tuition increases.
鈥淲e are just now recovering from the worst economic environment since 1937, and higher
education has not been immune to these challenges. Given the impact of the recession
on the Commonwealth鈥檚 budget, 黑料专区 leadership is preparing to once again aggressively
pursue state funding in the upcoming budget debate.鈥�
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher
education in the Commonwealth, with about 115,000 students. The 14 黑料专区 universities
offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 500,000
黑料专区 alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg,
Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery
Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. 黑料专区 also operates branch campuses
in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including
the Dixon University Center.