New contract will better morale at CSUSM, professors say

By: DAVID GARRICK - Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 4, 2007 11:18 PM PDT ∞

SAN MARCOS ---- Professors at Cal State San Marcos said Wednesday they were looking forward to improved faculty morale and some extra money for life's necessities now that their statewide labor union has forged a tentative contract with the administration.

A group of professors interviewed on campus credited the threat of two-day faculty walkouts for the new agreement. But the professors said faculty leaders were unlikely to resort to strike threats more quickly in the future just because they had success this spring.

The threatened strikes, which would have begun next week at San Marcos and five other campuses in the California State University system, were averted Tuesday morning when the administration offered a four-year contract honoring virtually all of the faculty's demands.

Claudia Keith, chief spokeswoman for University Chancellor Charles Reed, said Tuesday's agreement will not make the administration more vulnerable during future negotiations.

"We didn't come to this agreement under threat of a strike," Keith said Wednesday. "We had a mediator's report that gave us some very helpful guidelines."

Keith said it is difficult to speculate how future negotiations will develop, but she said it is not surprising that there was turmoil this time around because the state budget has become particularly tight in recent years.

The professors said the new contract will help make life in California more affordable for them, because it contains guaranteed 20.7 percent raises and a package of additional 2 percent to 4 percent pay hikes for many faculty members.

The new contract would increase the average annual salary for full-time professors without tenure from $74,000 to $90,749, and the average annual salary for tenured professors would increase from $86,000 to $105,465.

"It's very difficult to live in Southern California with two children in college, so this money will make a big difference for me," said education professor Pat Stall. "When I see an extra $4,000 per year, I think of it as one kid's tuition."

Sociology professor Don Barrett said higher pay will also mean better faculty morale.

"It's less about the money and more an issue of respect and workplace atmosphere," said Barrett, a 10-year veteran on campus. "I'm supposed to be mentoring first-year professors who make almost as much as me, which creates a pretty awkward situation."

Moses Ochanji, an education professor, said he expects future negotiations to go more smoothly now that the union has the administration's attention.

"We went into bargaining in good faith, but there was a feeling that the good faith had run out," said Ochanji. "I think our vote in favor of a strike will make the good faith return in the future."

Sociology professor Margaret Crowdes agreed, noting that professors in the university system have never gone on strike.

"This was a drastic measure we wouldn't want to repeat unless absolutely necessary," said Crowdes.

Mayra Besoso, a world languages professor, said she has high hopes for the future, but said that strike threats could come more quickly during the next round of negotiations if there is a deep philosophical divide on a key issue, such as professor workload or class sizes.

"I believe both sides will work together better in the future, and I think they will be more inclined to negotiate in good faith," said Besoso. "But it will depend on what the issues are."

The professors made their comments just prior to the monthly meeting of the Academic Senate faculty panel, where faculty members and deans gave rousing applause to Janet Powell, president of the union's San Marcos campus chapter.

Powell thanked her colleagues for their support during 23 months of acrimonious negotiations, and said the contract offer is better than anyone could have expected.

Powell said union members will vote on the contract in late April or early May, and then it will be forwarded to university system trustees for final approval.

Emily Cutrer, provost on the San Marcos campus, said Tuesday's agreement was a relief for campus administrators, who work on the fifth floor of Craven Hall.

"There were a lot of 'yippees' coming from the fifth floor yesterday," said Cutrer. "I'm not going out on a limb saying that yesterday was a very positive day."

Cutrer also praised faculty leaders for professional conduct during recent strike preparations and campus rallies.

-- Contact staff writer David Garrick at (760) 761-4410 or dgarrick@nctimes.com.