Formulating Demands
PSC Starts Early For Timely Pact

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

The Professional Staff Congress will hold a preliminary contract bargaining session with the City University of New York within the next month.

BARBARA BOWEN: Won't get stalled again.

The PSC's current pact expires in September, and the union is determined not to repeat the experience of the last round of bargaining, when negotiations dragged on for 3-1/2 years past the deadline. Members have not yet finalized a list of demands, but it is likely that many of the issues raised during the last talks will carry over to this round.

'CUNY's Responsive'

The union first contacted CUNY in November to request an early start to bargaining.

"We believe our members had to wait much too long in the last round," said PSC president Barbara Bowen. "I'm encouraged that CUNY has been responsive and that they too are looking forward to moving quickly."

CUNY officials say that they hope early negotiations will lead to a timely settlement. "The idea of meeting early is something we want to proceed on," said CUNY spokesman Michael Arena.

A final list of bargaining demands will be set in mid-February at a special PSC delegates' meeting. Members are currently discussing issues in local chapters and the union is conducting a telephone survey of randomly selected members to find out what issues are foremost in their minds.

"We want to make sure that we are aware of the priorities of the members, many of which we believe have surfaced in previous rounds of bargaining," said Ms. Bowen.

Pay, Welfare Fund Key

Past issues have included gaining competitive salaries for full-time professors and adjuncts, as well as decreasing CUNY's reliance on part-time teaching staff. It is likely that management contributions to the union's Welfare Fund, which pays for members' prescription drugs, dental and vision benefits, will once again be a point of contention at the bargaining table.

PSC members worked under an expired contract from November 2002 until June 2006, when the current 58-month pact was ratified. The PSC deal was one of many city and state contracts that were delayed primarily due to management demands for concessions and productivity increases.

PSC bargains directly with CUNY, but the deal must be approved by the city and the state. In the last round, CUNY's first offer for a raise came in December 2004 and totaled 1.5 percent over four years, according to Ms. Bowen. The eventual deal included a 9.5-percent average wage increase, a 20-percent increase in management contributions to the Welfare Fund, and a significant increase in sabbatical pay. The union was forced to agree, however, to lengthen the tenure clock from five years to seven.