Terra State and faculty union agree on contract
On December 19, 2019, the Terra State Community College Board of Trustees approved a three-year collective bargaining agreement, which the Faculty Union previously ratified.
Included in the agreement, expiring June 30, 2022, is $1,250 added to base salary for all full-time faculty in year one of the agreement. In year two and three, full-time faculty will receive a 2.75% raise in salary. There will also be an increased overload payment of $50 per credit hour over the 27 credit hour requirement.
Board of Trustees Chairperson Kay Reiter believes this agreement is a good move for the College. “This is something that has been talked about for quite some time and I’m glad we were able to reach an agreement,” she says. “The Board is always looking at what will benefit the College as a whole and we feel this is a step in the right direction.”
Negotiations began in April this year and President of the Terra Faculty Association (TFA) Steve Bender is happy they were able to come to an agreement. “It was a long process because there were a lot of sections of the contract that needed cleaned up and clarified. The TFA negotiating team had a tremendous amount of support from the faculty, which really helped.”
According to Director of Human Resources Jeremy McLaney, there were many reasons for the revisions in the Faculty Union contract. The goal was to minimize confusion and ambiguity, be fair to all parties involved and “do what’s best for the college while taking care of our faculty,” he says.
“I’m pleased with the results of the negotiations,” says Terra State President Dr. Ron Schumacher. “We’re working together to grow as a College and I feel these changes are necessary to continue to strengthen our academic programs.”