After over 120 hours at the bargaining table and the inspiring actions of PSU-AAUP members this past fall, PSU administration has finally responded with a proposal which engages on economics. That said, given inflation and the sacrifices our colleagues made during the pandemic, the proposed 2.6% raise a year from the Cudd administration is effectively a pay cut. While the Cudd administration finds $5 million more for athletics, seventeen of our colleagues have already been handed termination notices. Administration’s initial economic offer doesn’t come close to making members whole for our years of making do with 1% pay raises when inflation was in double digits. Similarly, this administration refuses to negotiate equitable layoff protections, workload protections, or any increase to post-tenure review, AP bilingual pay and annual increases, or the non-tenure track faculty Post Continuous Appointment Review increases that members and their families deserve. See our bargaining team and administration’s full proposals below. Whether or not the Cudd administration forces us to go on strike depends on administration's willingness to invest -not just on real estate- but in the conditions faculty, staff, and students deserve.
PSU-AAUP is proposing many economic improvements for our working conditions, including but not limited to cost of living increases of 7.5% for this year and then tied to inflation for subsequent years, 5% addition to AP pay for those who must use multilingual skills, post continuous appointment review and post tenure review amount increases tied to inflation, and more. Our proposals, outlined below, also include a demand to reverse the layoffs and a moratorium on layoffs for the duration of the contract.
With just two mediation sessions remaining in our mediation timeline and this insulting offer from administration, the leadership of PSU-AAUP is recommending every department get strike-ready. See our newly released strike FAQ here. Over the next three years, our working conditions and students’ learning conditions will be improved or not to the degree we show up in the coming weeks. We’re recommending our entire membership:
- Work with your unit rep to stage a departmental bargaining update meeting, answer colleagues questions about strikes using our newly released strike FAQ, and email your straw poll of your department’s strike readiness to the strike committee at aaup@psuaaup.net before the end of the day this Friday 1/17. This isn’t a strike vote, but it is a first measure of strike readiness. Already unit reps in some departments have facilitated unanimous straw polls.
- RSVP 1/24 Board of Trustees meeting in PSU-AAUP shirts and our new beanies - Bring your colleagues, students, and community allies to show the body that hires and fires administrators an effective pay cut is unacceptable
- Ask everyone in your networks to donate to our strike fund.
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