California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed, discussed the issues facing the State System, including the debate of faculty salary increases, at a press teleconference Tuesday, Feb 27.

The CSU and the California Faculty Association are currently locked in a debate over the next faculty salary contract. Much of the debate centers around the presence of Faculty Merit Increases, which are pay increases based on evaluation of faculty performance.

While the bargaining process is in its infancy, there have been talks within the CFA of a work stoppage as an option if an agreement cannot be reached.

“We will have merit pay,” Reed said. “I think what we have to work out is a merit pay process.”

While the CFA has called for an end to merit pay, the Chancellor was confident that an agreement could be reached.

“I am 99 percent sure we can do it,” Reed said. “We always do it.”

Reed also responded to the fact finders report on the issue that recently sided with the CFA and was rejected by the CSU.

“It was bias; it had many factual errors,” Reed said.

A previous fact finders report that sided with the CSU was also rejected by the CFA, according to Reed.

“I agreed with everything the fact finder said two years ago and they (the CFA) rejected it,” he said.

Reed also said that the faculty have received an 18 percent pay increase over the past three years.

“They can?t show anybody who has gotten them more money than I have,” he said.

Reed said that he has received no word of a possible work stoppage by the CFA.

“No, and whatever they do, they can do,” Reed said when asked whether the CFA has contacted him about a possible work stoppage.

Reed also talked about the CSU?s budget for next year.

“We have an excellent budget that the Governor has recommended,” Reed said.

The budget provides for the growth in the number of students the CSU will receive, and will include improvements in campus technology, outreach programs and more student services, he said.

Reed also pointed out that the added costs associated with the energy crisis could affect the budget.

“There is this large cloud hanging over California and the CSU budget called the electric energy crisis,” Reed said.

The CSU will have to cut down power consumption by 10 to 12 percent in order for it to fit within the framework of the budget, Reed said. The summer weather will provide the biggest challenge for power conservation.

The increased price of natural gas will have the most immediate effect on budgeting, according to Reed. The CSU is estimating the gas price for 2001 to be as much as $30 million, compared with $9 million last year. However, Reed said that this would not affect student tuition.

“There will not be any student fee or cost increase,” Reed said.

During the teleconference Reed also stressed the benefits of Year Round Operations, which the CSU is offering to provide more flexible options for students in-between the spring and fall semesters. The program could also allow the CSU to take on 20 to 25 percent more students overall, by alleviating some of the burden on the spring and fall classes.

CFA claims that

money allocated

for raises has not

been distributed

California Faculty Association met with reporters during an interim session of “Lobby Day,” its day long process of meeting with State Legislators to discuss the upcoming salary negotiations with the California State University.

The CFA and CSU are currently coming up with propositions for the official salary bargaining process, which is set to begin April 1. The debate over issues including Faculty Merit Increases, or raises based on evaluations, has led the CFA to consider a walkout if an agreement cannot be reached.

CFA President Susan Meisenhelder is also stating that much of the money allocated for professor raises in the California State budget has not reached their pockets, in spite of the 18 percent raise the faculty have received, according to CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed.

“He (Chancellor Reed) is always talking about how well he is doing,” Meisenhelder said.

Although she acknowledges that the faculty have received a significant pay increase in the last three years, she said that there is a $20 million difference between what has been budgeted for faculty salary and what is in the actual expenditures.

The CFA is currently seeking legislation that would ensure that the money that is budgeted for faculty cannot be spent elsewhere.

Meisenhelder also responded to questions about a fact finders report that occurred two years ago that sided with the CSU, and was rejected by the CFA.

“We rejected it because we knew the faculty would not agree to the [proposed] contract,” Meisenhelder said.

The fact finders report offered a settlement that the faculty would not accept, she said. A more recent fact finders report favored the CFA and was rejected by the CSU.

Meisenhelder also said that the CFA has the capability of coordinating a possible walkout, in spite of the fact that it has 8,700 members out of a total CSU faculty body of over 20,000.

“I do believe that the faculty can be mobilized,” she said.

CFA membership has increased by 1,000 faculty over the past year, Meisenhelder said. She attributes this to increased concern among faculty over the salary negotiations.

“The people are very principled in their devotion to the CSU,” she said.

Although there has never been a statewide strike in CSU history, Meisenhelder said that there were several local protests during negotiations for the current salary contract three years ago.

A middle ground could be reached between the CSU and CFA. A place to start would be with an “honest look” at what is not working with FMI, Meisenhelder said.

“We have to do something about strengthening the faculty input,” Meisenhelder said.One CFA claim has been that the evaluation process has taken power away from faculty, because the evaluations are sent to deans and the presidents. There is currently no set policy at the faculty level.

The processing of the merit awards are also taking too long, Meisenhelder said.

“We have to streamline it,” she said.

Union members met with legislators including State Senator Sheila Kuehl (D), and Darnell Cooley, principle assistant for Assemblymember Roderick Wright (D).

“I think most of us are pretty cognizant of what the conflict is,” Kuehl said.