The faculty union at the State System of Higher Education is gearing up for a fight over retrenchment at Commonwealth University, the three-campus state-owned entity that is made up of the former Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield universities.
Commonwealth last month notified the faculty that they may lose 108 positions: 78 at Bloomsburg, 16 at Mansfield, and 14 at Lock Haven. The notification beat the October 30th deadline required by the collective bargaining agreement with the union for possible job losses by the end of the academic year.
APSCUF president Dr. Kenneth Mash said the notification was “nothing short of outrageous, cruel, and (a violation of) the CBA,” saying the language requires that specific people be informed that they may lose their jobs, but the State System “…cast out a net well beyond that, and well beyond the 70-something faculty positions they initially announced.” Mash called the manner in which the retrenchment action has been handled “embarrassing.”
The CBA does provide professors with retrenchment letters with the opportunity to move to other departments, and if they are qualified, to transfer to other universities if there are openings there.
Meanwhile, contract negotiations have begun for a new CBA for faculty and a separate deal with coaches at the State System. The current contract expires on June 30th of next year.
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