YSU unions should consider the ramifications of a strike

The faculty at Youngstown State University has authorized its union to call a strike and has cast a no-confidence vote directed at the board of trustees and the administration, led by President James P. Tressel. What a difference five months make. In May, the leadership of the four unions representing the faculty, police, classified employees and administrative and professional staff had endorsed Tressel’s candidacy.

Indeed, after the former championship-winning head football coach at YSU and Ohio State University and executive vice president for student success at the University of Akron was selected by the trustees to lead Youngstown State, the unions issued a statement that said, in part:

“We expect that he will be an excellent ambassador and an effective fundraiser for the university. We believe he has an understanding of the past, is in a position to evaluate the present and will strive to create a future that brings us together as a well functioning, nationally recognized urban research institution. We look forward to the opportunity to work with Mr. Tressel in what we hope will be an exciting new beginning for YSU.”

What happened to all that goodwill?

The YSU-Ohio Education Association heard the one word it apparently wasn’t expecting, especially from Tressel: No.

Contract negotiations have hit a brick wall because the union and the university are at odds over a key item in the health-care plan for the faculty.

The YSU-OEA union sees it as a deal breaker, which is why the membership authorized the union leadership to call a strike and took a no-confidence vote.

But before the faculty and other union employees on campus take any drastic action, we would urge them to think long and hard about the state of higher education in Ohio and the fiscal challenges that confront the public universities and colleges.

Indeed, they might want to pay attention to what Gov. John Kasich had to say when he met with the Editorial Board of The Vindicator:

“Higher education needs significant reform. We can’t allow their costs to go through the roof. They’re going to lose market share. There’s no doubt about it.”

Too many deans

And Kasich offered this observation that’s embraced by many taxpayers, students and parents of students: “Here’s what I’m saying about higher education. They run universities, every dean, dean of this, every dean, every dean, every dean, every dean. Are they in the same school or are they their own separate empire like the Austrian-Hungarian empire or Italian city-states?”

The message from the Republican governor, who is seeking a second four-year term in Tuesday’s election, is clear: The status quo on campuses is unsustainable and changes in the way the colleges and universities operate must occur.

As state funding for higher education remains stagnant and the formula for allocating state money centers on student retention and graduation rates, Youngstown State faces a bleak financial future.

With Republicans poised to retain control of state government, the chances of higher education getting a funding boost are slim to none.

There are reports out of Columbus that some Republican legislators are contemplating legislation that would force an across-the-board cut in tuition in the state’s public colleges and universities.

Should that occur, YSU will find itself in even deeper fiscal trouble than it faces today. The future of the open-access, urban institution is uncertain at best.

We hope all the talk about a strike by faculty is just that — talk.