COUGAR PRINT
Clackamas Community College
OL. X, NO. 1
Thursday, September 23, 1976
¡trike averted
Faculty, board
settle contract
The Board of Education and faculty at Clackamas Community
ollege both agreed to a compromise contract proposal Monday,
spt. 20 and salary negotiation problems, which have been going on
nee February, have been resolved.
The proposal presented to both sides by state mediator Lowell
.shbaugh called for a six per cent cost-of-living increase in faculty
ilaries. It also included a .5 per cent increase in the amount cur-
jntly paid by the college towards fringe benefits to faculty mem-
ers, and what is termed the fact finder's report as a "professional
evelopment incentive" which amounts to approximately 3.2 per
ent of the total cost of faculty salaries.
By Jim Rogers
Cougar Print Editor
The faculty agreed unanimously to Ashbaugh's proposal Monday
lorning. The board met later that evening to consider and accept
ne proposal. Had the board not accepted the proposal the faculty
fould probably have set a strike date.
"I'm pleased that we got this thing settled and avoided a strike,"
said Dr. Hakanson, President of CCC.
Faculty contract negotiations began last February, but talks
started to get "sticky" somewhere between last July and early
August. Both sides came up with economic proposals but remained
in disagreement.
' According to Vince Fitzgerald, Clackamas Education Association
President, the Faculty Association considered the board's offer,
", . . not only unacceptable, but also questionable on some points."
1 The first mediator appointed by the state requested that negotia
tions go into fact finding and the fact finder presented an economic
proposal Aug. 19 totalling a 10.1 per cent increase in the total
faculty salary package. The faculty had previously voted to accept
the fact finder's proposal no matter what he recommended.
However, on Aug. 26 the board rejected the fact finder's pro
posal, sticking to their total of a 9.3 per cent increase. Negotiations
reached an impasse at this point until a week ago when Ashbaugh
came up with the proposal that was eventually accepted by both
sides.
I The six per cent cost-of-living increase is easy enough to under
stand. The .5 per cent increase means that the college pays out
$6.23 more per month towards each faculty member's "fringe"
benefits (mostly insurance and disability benefits) bringing the
total contribution by the college per month for each employee on
the faculty to $61.23.
There are two salary levels for the faculty and ten steps on each
level. Level II is strictly a merit level. The 3.2 per cent increment
raise represents what it costs to move faculty members from the step
they are on to the next step on the pay scale. Thirty-four per cent
of the faculty are as far up the pay scale as they can go, so these
persons will only receive a six per cent increase in salary and get
the .5 per cent increase towards their benefits.
I Faculty members that are eligible to move on to a higher salary
level must go through an evaluation process and their supervisors
can then recommend them for the move up based on the evaluation
results. "You have to be a good teacher in order to move up," said
Dollie Ammons, a Business Education instructor and president of
the Faculty Association.
1 Beginning in February 1977, the entire faculty contract will
be open again for negotiations. However, due to the mediator's
proposal and its acceptance, if there is not mutual agreement between
the faculty and the board regarding proposed changes in the existing
contract by June 30, 1977, the main text of the faculty contract will
remain intact to June 30, 1978 exclusive of salary, fringe and no
strike which must be negotiated to settlement.
SN: OL0055
In the beginning . . .
The "beginning" seems like a point in time long ago for some stu
dents who began the registration process last week. But the endless
lines for financial aid, admissions, and counseling are dwindling
by the end of the week, and Monday, Sept, 23, will mark the first
day of classes for fall term.