Cincinnati State trustees, AAUP members ratify new contract
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 4, 2014
CONTACT
Robert White
Media Relations/Communications Coordinator
(513) 569-4775 (office)
(859) 468-6640 (cell)
robert.white@cincinnatistate.edu
Pam Ecker
Vice President
AAUP/Cincinnati State
(513) 569-1722
pamela.ecker@cincinnatistate.edu
Cincinnati State trustees, AAUP members ratify new contract
The Cincinnati State Board of Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a three-year contract
with the college’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
The agreement, which had been approved by a unanimous vote of AAUP members Aug.
22, capped a series of formal bargaining sessions that began in June, 2014.
It was achieved through collaborative negotiations between Faculty and Administration
Bargaining Teams, without the acrimony that accompanied contract negotiations in 2011,
when faculty conducted a one-week strike.
The new contract takes effect immediately. Among its highlights:
Salaries will increase 1.25 percent the first year of the contract, 1.5 percent the second year, 2
percent the third.
The faculty share of health insurance premiums will remain at 8% for the first year of the contract,
then rise to 10 percent in year two and 12 percent in year three.
Instructional faculty workloads were adjusted to match the standards used at other community
colleges in Ohio and nationally.
A new employment category was established for annually-contracted, non-tenure-track faculty,
with a limit of 30 total positions for instructors, academic advisors, and instructional designers.
New standards were established for such matters as “overload” pay and eligibility, the duties of
program chairs, maintaining office hours for students and timelines for filling academic positions.
A new compensation structure was developed for Electronic Course & Curriculum Development
(Distance Education).
“I’m pleased we were able to reach an agreement that respects both the tremendous work of our faculty
and the operational needs of the college,” said Board Chair Cathy Crain. “We changed our whole
approach to negotiations during this cycle, under the guidance of President Owens, and the results were
better than I think anyone could have predicted. I believe we’ll see the benefits in the success of our
students.”
This year’s negotiating sessions were preceded by an unprecedented series of meetings in 2013 and
early 2014 between representatives of the AAUP, the Cincinnati State administration and the college’s
Board of Trustees. These meetings served as a “debriefing” on past negotiations and an opportunity to
informally discuss shared interests for upcoming contract talks.
AAUP President David Simmermon said those talks by faculty, administrators and trustees helped
establish a productive starting point for this year’s negotiations. “I think both sides gained improved
understanding of college-wide concerns through the informal talks,” he said. “As a result, many issues of
importance to both faculty and administration were examined carefully and resolved effectively during the
formal bargaining process.”
The AAUP represents approximately 200 full-time faculty members at Cincinnati State’s campuses in
Clifton, Harrison, Evendale and Middletown.
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Cincinnati State (www.cincinnatistate.edu) offers more than 130 associate degree and certificate
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sciences and information technologies. Cincinnati State has one of the most comprehensive co-op
programs among two-year colleges in the U.S.
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