Penn College, Faculty Association Agree on Contract Extension

Pennsylvania College of Technology and the Penn College Education Association (the organization representing full-time teaching faculty, librarians and counselors at the college) will extend their current employment contract through 2011-12.

The extension agreement was approved Thursday by the Penn College Board of Directors. It is the fourth extension enacted for the agreement, which was first approved in August 2000.

The members of the PCEA, the only unionized group of employees at Penn College, voted in December to ratify the extension proposal. Previous extensions to the work agreement were approved in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

The extension calls for annual increases of 4 percent for the salary-system pool in both 2009-10 and 2010-11 and an increase of 4.5 percent in 2011-12. The current agreement, which ends in June 2009, calls for salary-system-pool increases of 4.5 percent in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

"The negotiations for this contract extension were characterized by a climate of mutual respect and cooperation," said Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour. "The agreement demonstrates that the members of PCEA share our goal of holding down educational costs for students. It enables the college administration and faculty to move forward and advance our shared mission."

"I believe this agreement is fair to all parties involved and reflects the commitment and dedication of the Penn College faculty," said PCEA President James E. Temple. "This agreement provides continuing stability and will allow for both the faculty and the college to plan for the next four years."

The contract extension calls for overload teaching rates to increase from $865 to $900 per credit in 2010-11. Under the current extension agreement, in 2008-09, the overload credit-hour rate increases from $830 to $865.

The extension also calls for an increase of the base salary for faculty and the addition of one base value for master's and doctoral degrees.

In addition, faculty required to work full time in the summer semester will gain an additional sick day and personal day.

PCEA members began sharing the cost of health-insurance premiums with the college in 2006-07.

Currently, retiring faculty with 25 years of service are entitled to health-insurance benefits at no cost until they reach the Medicare eligibility age. Under the terms of the contract extension, retiring faculty members will cost-share for health insurance for the duration of their coverage at the rate in effect at the time of their retirement. The cost-sharing provision will be phased in for two years to reach the 17-percent level.

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