[Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial Crisis

lfalen lfalen at turbonet.com
Mon Apr 27 10:03:29 PDT 2009


Joe
I do no want you or any one else to lose their job. I think that pay cuts are preferable to layoffs.It is inevitably that some programs will be cut. there are no students or very few for a class it will be cut. My wife is staff in the PSES department at UI. She runs the Soils Pedology Lab. She will receive an award for 40 years of service today. She puts in 10 to 12 hours a day and does not get comp. time. She had cancer in 2003. She had surgery, chemo, radiation and the whole ball  of wax.  She is still suffering from the after affects. She takes a lot of Ibuprofen and diuretics to keep on going. She is not yet eligible for full Social Security. There have already been severe cut backs at PSES. Sixteen positions will not be filled. There are very few students in soils. If it were not for the environmental students there would be even less. If things get any worse she could be in danger. She is willing to take the 3% decrease. Everyone else should also.
Roger
-----Original message-----
From: Joe Campbell philosopher.joe at gmail.com
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:48:06 -0700
To: lfalen lfalen at turbonet.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial Crisis

> I am not guarenteed a job, Roger. As I understand it, cutting the  
> department provides justification for firing me. That is how my chair  
> explained it. I have some security, of course, and I'm thankful for  
> that. But not of the sort you imagine.
> 
> Joe Campbell
> 
> On 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
> >>> =======================================================



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