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Cincinnati State and faculty agree on a new contract

Cincinnati State's professors have a new contract.  The three year deal between the Board of Trustees and the college's chapter of the American Association of University Professors will take effect immediately. 

A release says salaries will increase 1.25 percent in the first year 1.5 percent in the second year and 2 percent in the third year.  The Board of Trustees approved the agreement yesterday.  It was approved by a unanimous vote of AAUP members August 22. 

The AAUP represents approximately 200 full-time faculty members at Cincinnati State’s campuses in Clifton, Harrison, Evendale and Middletown.

Full release:

The Cincinnati State Board of Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a three-year contract with the college’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors. The agreement, which had been approved by a unanimous vote of AAUP members Aug. 22, capped a series of formal bargaining sessions that began in June, 2014. It was achieved through collaborative negotiations between Faculty and Administration Bargaining Teams, without the acrimony that accompanied contract negotiations in 2011, when faculty conducted a one-week strike. The new contract takes effect immediately. Among its highlights: Salaries will increase 1.25 percent the first year of the contract, 1.5 percent the second year, 2 percent the third. The faculty share of health insurance premiums will remain at 8% for the first year of the contract, then rise to 10 percent in year two and 12 percent in year three. Instructional faculty workloads were adjusted to match the standards used at other community colleges in Ohio and nationally. A new employment category was established for annually-contracted, non-tenure-track faculty, with a limit of 30 total positions for instructors, academic advisors, and instructional designers. New standards were established for such matters as “overload” pay and eligibility, the duties of program chairs, maintaining office hours for students and timelines for filling academic positions. A new compensation structure was developed for Electronic Course & Curriculum Development (Distance Education). “I’m pleased we were able to reach an agreement that respects both the tremendous work of our faculty and the operational needs of the college,” said Board Chair Cathy Crain. “We changed our whole approach to negotiations during this cycle, under the guidance of President Owens, and the results were better than I think anyone could have predicted. I believe we’ll see the benefits in the success of our students.” This year’s negotiating sessions were preceded by an unprecedented series of meetings in 2013 and early 2014 between representatives of the AAUP, the Cincinnati State administration and the college’s Board of Trustees. These meetings served as a “debriefing” on past negotiations and an opportunity to informally discuss shared interests for upcoming contract talks. AAUP President David Simmermon said those talks by faculty, administrators and trustees helped establish a productive starting point for this year’s negotiations. “I think both sides gained improved understanding of college-wide concerns through the informal talks,” he said. “As a result, many issues of importance to both faculty and administration were examined carefully and resolved effectively during the formal bargaining process.” The AAUP represents approximately 200 full-time faculty members at Cincinnati State’s campuses in Clifton, Harrison, Evendale and Middletown.

Maryanne Zeleznik is responsible for all news and public affairs programming at WVXU. She also hosts Morning Edition Monday through Friday.