[Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial Crisis

Darrell Keim keim153 at gmail.com
Fri Apr 24 09:41:14 PDT 2009


Allow me to paraphrase:  We are all equal, Roger.  Some are more equal
than others.

On Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 9:34 AM, lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com> wrote:
> 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
>> > =======================================================
>
> =======================================================
>  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
> =======================================================
>



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