CCP administration says union has rebuffed bid for fact-finding in contract negotiations

The Community College of Philadelphia says its faculty and staff union has opposed the school’s request for a third-party fact-finder to help with negotiations and that it seems more intent on striking than reaching a settlement and making sure students graduate on time.

“But it is the logical next step for leadership who began advertising ‘strike school’ to its members weeks before negotiations with the college even began,” the college said in a news release Monday.

The college said it is awaiting a response from the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board on its request for fact-finding, under which a neutral party would review both sides’ offers and recommend a solution. The union by law would not be able to strike while that request is pending or during the fact-finding if it is granted, the college said. That would allow the college to keep classes going further into the semester, if not through the end of it, if fact-finding is granted.

» READ MORE: CCP faculty overwhelmingly approve strike authorization vote

“The college is very confident that our offers are fair and equitable and financially responsible so we are welcoming a neutral third party coming in to examine our positions,” said Shannon McLaughlin Rooney, vice president of enrollment management and strategic communications.

But union co-president Junior Brainard said the college actually missed the deadline for filing for fact-finding, raising questions about whether it would be valid even if granted.

“The real issue is that the request for fact-finding is a cowardly Hail Mary delay tactic by the college to stop the bargaining process and ignore the critical demands of faculty, staff and students for real raises, full staffing and the support students need,” Brainard said.

Rooney, however, maintained that the college’s request was timely.

The dueling comments came one day after the union that represents about 1,200 full-time faculty, staff and adjuncts announced that its members by a 97% majority voted to give their negotiating team the right to call a strike if necessary. No strike date has been set.

The two sides have been negotiating for more than 14 months; previous contracts for faculty, staff and adjuncts expired Aug. 31.

The college has been offering a three-year contract with raises of 5%, 4% and 4%, while the union is seeking a four-year pact with raises of 9%, 9%, 6% and 6%, Rooney said.

The minimum starting salary for a full-time faculty member is $56,095 for the academic year, Brainard said, while the average full-time faculty salary is $79,400. Part-time faculty start at $1,671 per credit hour, or approximately $5,000 per course, while staff earn a minimum of $16.48 an hour.

The union also is seeking free transit passes for students, but Rooney said that would have cost the college about $2 million at the time it was exploring the option, which the school couldn’t afford. Drexel University last year dropped out of a program that provided subsidized transit passes to faculty and staff, citing the expense. The community college said it does offer students parking for $5 a day.

“Budgets reflect priorities,” Brainard countered, “and right now the college isn’t prioritizing student success the way it needs to.” He said that 1,000 students signed a petition last spring in support of free transit passes.

As for the union’s request for child care, the college said its on-campus day care closed during the pandemic and that it was populated largely by “non-student, non-staff neighbors.”

“Our students and staff come from all over the city, and have indicated they prefer to enroll their children in child care closer to their homes,” the school asserted.

In response to the union’s charge of a staffing crisis, the college in its news release asserted that its faculty to student ratio is at 14 to one, down from 18 to one before the pandemic. The college also is agreeing to reduce class sizes with a current maximum of 36 students to 32 and those with a maximum of 32 to 28.

Rooney said CCP has not raised tuition since the 2017-18 academic year and wants to continue that trend. A Philadelphia resident with a typical full-time load of 13 credits pays $2,684 in tuition and fees, she said.

If a strike were to occur, the college would keep student services going, including financial aid, the library and other offices, Rooney said. Whether classes could be held would depend on how many faculty chose to work, she said.

The last time the union went on strike was 2007 and classes were canceled.