[Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial Crisis

lfalen lfalen at turbonet.com
Fri Apr 24 09:34:26 PDT 2009


You are still guarenteed a job.In bad times that should be enough. Why should not everyone share in the cuts? Why should you be placed on an elevated pedestal at the expense of peasants(staff)?
Roger
-----Original message-----
From: Joe Campbell philosopher.joe at gmail.com
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:30:51 -0700
To: lfalen lfalen at turbonet.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial Crisis

> Maybe I should have expressed my question more clearly, What is tenure  
> without the salary? What do you get with that?
> 
> Joe Campbell
> 
> On Apr 23, 2009, at 8:43 AM, lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com> wrote:
> 
> > All I am saying is that pay cuts should affect everyone, starting  
> > with administrators. It makes no sence to cut the pay of those on  
> > the lowest end of the pay scale while excluding those that make  
> > more. If the rules for tenure do not allow for this, then the rules  
> > need to be changed.
> > Roger
> > -----Original message-----
> > From: nickgier at roadrunner.com
> > Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:22:01 -0700
> > To: vision2020 at moscow.com,  lfalen lfalen at turbonet.com, "Gier,  
> > Nicholas" NGIER at uidaho.edu
> > Subject: RE: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial  
> > Crisis
> >
> >> Hi Roger,
> >>
> >> If tenure protects base salary, as two legal cases indicate that it  
> >> does, then a contract that invalidated that aspect of tenure would  
> >> be illegal and no faculty member should agree to it.
> >>
> >> Nick
> >> ---- lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com> wrote:
> >>> You are reading in things that arn't there. I said only that  
> >>> future tenure contract should not lock in salaries in the event  
> >>> that every one else takes  a pay cut. In this narrow regard, no  
> >>> one should be immuned.
> >>> Roger
> >>> -----Original message-----
> >>> From: "Gier, Nicholas" NGIER at uidaho.edu
> >>> Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:01:58 -0700
> >>> To: "lfalen" lfalen at turbonet.com,  nickgier at roadrunner.com, vision2020 at moscow.com
> >>> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to  
> >>> Financial Crisis
> >>>
> >>>> Hi Roger,
> >>>>
> >>>> Here are your exact words:
> >>>>
> >>>> "If this is prohibited by tenured rules, these should be changed  
> >>>> going forward. Contracts should be honored as the early retires  
> >>>> contracts should be honored. The thing is do not make these kinds  
> >>>> of contracts in the future."
> >>>>
> >>>> Perhaps you did not mean to say it, but you wrote this and it  
> >>>> clearly implies that future contracts for faculty would not  
> >>>> include tenure.
> >>>>
> >>>> Nick
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> -----Original Message-----
> >>>> From: lfalen [mailto:lfalen at turbonet.com]
> >>>> Sent: Wed 4/22/2009 1:53 PM
> >>>> To: Gier, Nicholas; nickgier at roadrunner.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
> >>>> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to  
> >>>> Financial Crisis
> >>>>
> >>>> I did not say anything about eliminating tenure, only that they  
> >>>> should be subject to same rules as staff when it comes to pay cuts.
> >>>> Roger
> >>>> -----Original message-----
> >>>> From: "Gier, Nicholas" NGIER at uidaho.edu
> >>>> Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:42:01 -0700
> >>>> To: "lfalen" lfalen at turbonet.com,  nickgier at roadrunner.com, vision2020 at moscow.com
> >>>> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to  
> >>>> Financial Crisis
> >>>>
> >>>>> Hi Roger,
> >>>>>
> >>>>> If you are suggesting that Idaho eliminate tenure, then  
> >>>>> prospective faculty members will not apply for jobs on Idaho's  
> >>>>> campuses. That of course would be disastrous for Idaho higher  
> >>>>> education.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Tenure is necessary for academic freedom and that means, after a  
> >>>>> rigorous probationary period of 5-7 years, tenured professors  
> >>>>> have career-long protection from political interference in their  
> >>>>> teaching, research, and service.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Nick
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> -----Original Message-----
> >>>>> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com on behalf of lfalen
> >>>>> Sent: Wed 4/22/2009 10:39 AM
> >>>>> To: nickgier at roadrunner.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
> >>>>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to  
> >>>>> Financial Crisis
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Nick
> >>>>> I agree with you on administrative position and athletics,  
> >>>>> though not necessarily on tenure. If cuts do get down to staff  
> >>>>> positions, it should also include tenured faculty. If this is  
> >>>>> prohibited by tenured rules, these should be changed going  
> >>>>> forward. Contracts should be honored as the early retires  
> >>>>> contracts should be honored. The thing is do not make these  
> >>>>> kinds of contracts in the future.
> >>>>> Roger
> >>>>> -----Original message-----
> >>>>> From: nickgier at roadrunner.com
> >>>>> Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:54:37 -0700
> >>>>> To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> >>>>> Subject: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial  
> >>>>> Crisis
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> IFT HIGHER EDUCATION COUNCIL RESPONDS TO FINANCIAL CRISIS
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> On April 15, 2009 the Higher Education Council of the Idaho  
> >>>>>> Federation of Teachers, AFT/AFL-CIO met in a phone conference  
> >>>>>> to discuss the financial crisis.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Those present were Valia Tatarova, Idaho State University  
> >>>>>> (physics); Lynn Lubamersky, Boise State University (history);  
> >>>>>> Chris Riggs, Lewis-Clark State College (history); Lynne  
> >>>>>> Haagensen, University of Idaho (art); Joyce Lider, North Idaho  
> >>>>>> College (English); Susan Andrews, IFT Vice-President for Higher  
> >>>>>> Education; and Nick Gier, IFT President.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> I. Salary Reduction Proposal. According to a legal opinion from  
> >>>>>> the AFT national office, academic tenure protects base salary.  
> >>>>>> Tenure is a property right and at least two court cases have  
> >>>>>> recognized that base salary is part of that property. The IFT  
> >>>>>> Higher Education Council voted to oppose any salary reductions  
> >>>>>> for tenured faculty.  We join the BSU Faculty Senate President  
> >>>>>> in vowing to file a case action suit if tenured faculty are  
> >>>>>> forced to take a pay cut.  In a related decision the IFT Higher  
> >>>>>> Education Council voted that classified staff, lecturers, and  
> >>>>>> non-tenured faculty be exempt from salary reductions and  
> >>>>>> proposed that salary savings be taken from those making more  
> >>>>>> than $100,000.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> II. Teaching positions should have priority over administrative  
> >>>>>> positions.  Nation-wide administrative positions have generally  
> >>>>>> grown at a greater rate than teaching positions.  The example  
> >>>>>> of BSU is especially egregious: from 2005-2007 BSU had over 100  
> >>>>>> more administrators than its peers but 191 fewer faculty  
> >>>>>> members instructing students than peer institutions.   
> >>>>>> Administrative salaries have also outpaced faculty pay.  Since  
> >>>>>> 1982 the salaries of 11 top UI administrative positions have  
> >>>>>> increased 260 percent while full professor salaries increased  
> >>>>>> 198 percent.  (CPI for the period was 215.) (For more see <www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/salaries.htm 
> >>>>>> >.) The IFT Higher Education Council voted to recommend that  
> >>>>>> administrative positions be cut before teaching positions.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> III. Appropriated funds are for academics not athletics.  Since  
> >>>>>> 1987 state subsidies for athletics at the UI has grown 338  
> >>>>>> percent while appropriations for Idaho higher education has  
> >>>>>> grown 159 percent.  Currently the state subsidies for UI and  
> >>>>>> ISU athletics are over $3 million.  Since 1999 private  
> >>>>>> contributions to UI athletics rose 246 percent, indicating the  
> >>>>>> potential for it to wean itself, as any non-academic program  
> >>>>>> should, from its state subsidy. (For more see <www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/athletics.htm 
> >>>>>> >.) The IFT Higher Education Council voted to request that  
> >>>>>> state monies for athletics on all Idaho campuses be phased out  
> >>>>>> over 4-6 years.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> IV. Program reduction procedures must be revised.  In 2002 the  
> >>>>>> Idaho State Board of Education (SBOE) instituted new procedures  
> >>>>>> for program reduction.  At that time the IFT objected to a lack  
> >>>>>> of protection for tenured faculty and requested that the  
> >>>>>> procedures be revised.  As no revisions have been made, IFT  
> >>>>>> president asked  in December 2008 for a legal opinion from the  
> >>>>>> national office.  The response was that these procedures  
> >>>>>> undermine tenure and do not comply with Idaho law. (For more  
> >>>>>> see <www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/ProgramReduction.htm>.)  
> >>>>>> The IFT Higher Education Council voted to urge the SBOE to  
> >>>>>> revise these procedures such that tenured faculty have the same  
> >>>>>> protection as under the procedures for financial exigency.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> =======================================================
> >>>>>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> >>>>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >>>>>>               http://www.fsr.net
> >>>>>>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> >>>>>> =======================================================
> >>>>>
> >>>>> =======================================================
> >>>>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> >>>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >>>>>               http://www.fsr.net
> >>>>>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> >>>>> =======================================================
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>
> >
> > =======================================================
> > List services made available by First Step Internet,
> > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >               http://www.fsr.net
> >          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> > =======================================================



More information about the Vision2020 mailing list