Message to Students
(Feb. 14, 2011) -- Our number one priority is – and will always be – you, the students of Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC). For this reason, the MHCC District Board of Education took the step of declaring “impasse” today in contract negotiations with the Full-Time Faculty Association. The Board declared impasse in order to protect students from faculty actions – such as a strike – that could negatively impact your ability to complete your coursework. Unfortunately, the Full-Time Faculty Association has refused to do its part to help the College avoid a $5.5 million budget shortfall that we expected in 2010-11. In order for the College to implement each of the faculty association’s proposals, we would be forced to increase tuition by $15 per credit hour. This would inflate tuition for 12 credit hours, for example, by $180. This increase would undoubtedly cause many students to drop out of college and abandon their dreams. At the rally on Feb. 10, we pointed out: “There’s not an unending supply of money.” Simple economics informs us that when expenses go up (faculty salaries, for example) and revenues go down (such as a decrease in state funding), something needs to happen in order to balance the budget. It is imperative that we resolve the expected budget shortfall with a permanent fix, rather than just a band-aid approach. For the long-term continued success of MHCC, we must once and for all implement strategies that will lower costs and increase revenue – and do so without placing the entire burden on students. It has taken hard work and sacrifice to succeed in aligning the budget with revenues. (Please refer to the following table.) It’s common sense – and expected of us by taxpayers – to continue along that path of fiscal responsibility, rather than dig a deeper budget hole.
Comparison of MHCC Revenues to Expenditures Fiscal Years 2002-03 to 2010-11
$70,000
$60,000
In Thousands
$50,000
Other
$40,000
Tuition/Fees State Support
$30,000
Taxes Expenditures
$20,000
$10,000
$2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11 Budgeted
What this Means to You First of all, rest assured that the College is doing everything it can to lessen or eliminate any potential impacts to you if your instructors decide to go out on strike. We are expanding our interim pool of qualified and available part-time instructors to seamlessly assume teaching duties created by striking faculty. This was a difficult decision for the College, but it was made entirely for the benefit of students. The College will not only remain open for business – it will continue to meet the needs of its 33,000 students and the community that supports them. Again, your academic success is our number one priority. It is our aim to be staffed and ready so that you will be able to complete your coursework, and earn certificates or diplomas for which you may already be on track, in the event the Full-Time Faculty Association proposes, and approves, a strike. A decision to strike is entirely up to the faculty. It is our hope that they will not strike, but if they do, we will be prepared to continue moving the College forward.
Background A bit of background may be helpful. The Board and faculty association have been involved in negotiating a new labor contract for many months. When it was apparent that the parties were not making sufficient progress on a number of critical issues, we requested the assistance of a state mediator, whose role was to help College negotiators and faculty negotiators arrive at an agreement. We met on two occasions with a mediator – and still there was no movement from the faculty to accept our offer. For that reason, the College notified the Employee Relations Board (ERB), a state agency, that the Board was declaring impasse. Impasse essentially signals a stalemate has occurred in negotiations, and that without movement from the faculty association, no settlement is possible. The law proscribes specific steps and periods of time for those steps in order for the employer to implement what’s referred to as its final offer, or for the union to strike. For details, click on this website Association Negotiations Update.
Overview of the Issues Our website has all the documents related to faculty negotiations. You are welcome to view them anytime. However, for simplicity, we will provide a few facts here.
Salary We have stated many times that MHCC full-time faculty as a whole are the highest paid among all community colleges in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. This is an indisputable fact supported by data from the National Education Association (April 2010). Looking at just five of the “local” community colleges, the following table shows how MHCC instructors’ monthly salaries compare to their counterparts’ salaries, including their recent voluntary reductions in pay. Again, MHCC faculty are the highest paid.
$7,014 $7,500 $6,500
$6,323
$5,764
$6,492
$5,853
$5,250
$5,500 $4,500 $3,500 $2,500 $1,500 $500
The College has proposed salary increases for those faculty members who are on the lowest pay tier and salary reductions for those at the top pay tier. We believe this move is critical in order to bring MHCC faculty salaries in line with other faculty salaries at other community colleges. You may be thinking that our full-time faculty should be the highest paid among Pacific Northwest community colleges. We understand your position because we, too, believe our instructors are smart and talented professionals who possess the skills and attributes that make them good educators. The simple truth is this: The state is cutting the amount of money it gives to community colleges; taxpayers expect us to be fiscally responsible and to operate within our budget; and we are serving more students than ever before. Result: We can no longer compensate full-time faculty as if we had an endless supply of money. We have called upon the full-time faculty to make the necessary reductions, just as our other two unions have, as well as our non-represented employees. We are transparent in discussions with the Association and wish you to know that all documents are available on our website at Association Negotiations Update.
Medical Benefits If you have been following the news or paying health insurance for you and your family, then you are keenly aware that health insurance premiums are increasing at an alarming rate all over the country. It’s no different here, in Gresham, Ore. In order to help trim expenses, the College proposed that full-time faculty pay a percentage of the premium (for the most benefits-rich insurance plan). Currently, they pay a set amount each month – regardless of the amount of health benefits they actually use. This current pricing system is a huge cost to the College. The College is grateful to the significant contributions made by the College’s other two unions: the PartTime Faculty and Tutor Association and the Classified Employees Association. Both collective bargaining units agreed to new contracts recently in which they – just like workers all over the country – are assuming more financial responsibility for their medical insurance. If the full-time faculty accept our
proposal, they will pay 60 percent less for the “Cadillac” plan in 2010-11 than faculty at comparable community colleges.
Our Commitment to You, Our Students The College continues to meet regularly with your student representatives from Associated Student Government. It is our aim to maintain an open channel of communication as we develop and implement plans to provide uninterrupted academic instruction. Lastly, this is a fact that bears repeating: Our number one priority is – and will always be – you, the students of Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC). Regards, Brian Freeman, MHCC District Board Chair John J. “Ski” Sygielski, MHCC President