YSU faculty get pay raises in new 3-year deal

YSU faculty get pay raises in new 3-year deal

YOUNGSTOWN — The new three-year contract for Youngstown State University’s faculty union has ushered in a new era of improved labor relations — and $4.5 million in additional spending, according to negotiators on both sides of the table.

The settlement, ratified today by the YSU Board of Trustees, comes four months before the expiration of the current three-year contract, something negotiators said is unprecedented, at least in recent history.

It’s a far cry from the adversarial negotiations three years ago that led to a late summer 2005 faculty strike that ended just before the start of classes that fall.

The new contract, which the university says will cost $4.5 million in additional funding, calls for a 2.5 percent base salary increase in the first year, which begins Aug. 22, 2008, and 3.5 percent base salary increases in both the second and third years.

In addition, faculty will see an “equity adjustment” in the first year with professors getting $1,800, associate professors getting $1,600, assistant professors getting $900 and instructors getting $600.

Further, those who were hired before June 1, 2005, will get a one-time longevity increase of $50 a year for each full academic year of paid service. Full professors with eight or more years in rank will get an additional $50 a year in rank.

Approval of the contract wasn’t unanimous.

Trustee Donald Cagigas cast the lone dissenting vote, saying later that he was concerned about the effects of the agreement on the long-term financial stability of YSU.

For the complete story, see Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.