Forum held to present SSHE's side in contract negotiations
Eleanor White
Issue date: 10/30/03 Section: News
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"There are three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth. The truth isn't always attainable, but it's still important to see the two remaining sides."
Student Trustee Keli "B." Reagan opened the forum held on Tuesday, October 21 with this statement. At 12:15 p.m., Reagan made a phone call to Tom Gluck, the Director of Communications for the Chancellor's Office, so he could offer the State System of Higher Education's (SSHE) side of the contract negotiations to East Stroudsburg University (ESU) students.
The contract negotiations have been in progress for over a year, and according to Gluck, this year's negotiations present a more unique challenge than negotiations in the past because of cuts in state funding for two consecutive years. Gluck said SSHE's proposals are to help fulfill three objectives: to help the system get through difficult economic times, to ensure that at the end of the next four-year contract the faculty salaries will still be decent and to keep "high-quality health insurance" for faculty and their families.
When asked about the controversial retroactive pay increases SSHE administration received last year, Gluck explained that while SSHE did receive pay increases that year, so did the faculty of APSCUF.
The percent of salary increase for SSHE was based on management level performances, and it was retroactive only because it took time to work out the details of the raise. Concerning healthcare, Gluck said that administration and faculty currently have the same hospital/medical insurance plans as the administration, only it is provided by different carriers, and that it has been free for both sides in the past.
He also said that the faculty and administration do have different eye/dental/prescription plans, which were previously free as well, but he went on to explain that funding no longer allows for the system to pay for the insurance. Gluck stated that because of the skyrocketing cost of healthcare, SSHE has proposed that faculty pay 10 percent of the cost of insurance (approx. $35/month for individual coverage and approx. $75/month for family coverage). He also said that while faculty will now have more out-of-pocket costs for healthcare, administration will have to start paying as well.
Student Trustee Keli "B." Reagan opened the forum held on Tuesday, October 21 with this statement. At 12:15 p.m., Reagan made a phone call to Tom Gluck, the Director of Communications for the Chancellor's Office, so he could offer the State System of Higher Education's (SSHE) side of the contract negotiations to East Stroudsburg University (ESU) students.
The contract negotiations have been in progress for over a year, and according to Gluck, this year's negotiations present a more unique challenge than negotiations in the past because of cuts in state funding for two consecutive years. Gluck said SSHE's proposals are to help fulfill three objectives: to help the system get through difficult economic times, to ensure that at the end of the next four-year contract the faculty salaries will still be decent and to keep "high-quality health insurance" for faculty and their families.
When asked about the controversial retroactive pay increases SSHE administration received last year, Gluck explained that while SSHE did receive pay increases that year, so did the faculty of APSCUF.
The percent of salary increase for SSHE was based on management level performances, and it was retroactive only because it took time to work out the details of the raise. Concerning healthcare, Gluck said that administration and faculty currently have the same hospital/medical insurance plans as the administration, only it is provided by different carriers, and that it has been free for both sides in the past.
He also said that the faculty and administration do have different eye/dental/prescription plans, which were previously free as well, but he went on to explain that funding no longer allows for the system to pay for the insurance. Gluck stated that because of the skyrocketing cost of healthcare, SSHE has proposed that faculty pay 10 percent of the cost of insurance (approx. $35/month for individual coverage and approx. $75/month for family coverage). He also said that while faculty will now have more out-of-pocket costs for healthcare, administration will have to start paying as well.