Pa. state university faculty ratify new contract with raises and step increases all four years

Faculty at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s 10 universities this week overwhelmingly approved a new contract agreement with raises and step increases all four years.

The tentative agreement, which would run through the 2026-27 academic year, is contingent upon approval of the state system’s board of governors, who plan to vote on the pact at a meeting Thursday.

Under the pact, faculty would get a 4% raise retroactive to the fall and a step increase in the spring, according to multiple sources familiar with the contract details, who said they were not authorized to speak publicly. The contract includes 13 steps through which faculty in different groups, such as assistant professor and full professor, advance as their seniority increases. Those already at the top of the scale would get a cash payment equal to 2.5% of their salary.

» READ MORE: Tentative contract deal reached between Pa. higher education system and faculty union

In the second year, faculty would get a 2% raise in the spring and a step increase, followed by a 1.25% raise and a step increase in the spring of the third year and a 3% raise and step increase in the spring of the final year.

The Association of Pennsylvania State College & University Faculties, the union which represents about 5,500 faculty and coaches, said it would not comment on details of the pact until after the board votes. The union said 96% of faculty who voted approved the pact.

The union also last month reached a tentative agreement on a contract for coaches, and that pact was also ratified this week, with 99% of those voting in favor, the union said. Details were not available.

“These contracts are the product of countless hours of hard work by faculty, coaches, and the system’s management,” APSCUF president Kenneth M. Mash said in a statement. “This work resulted in fair contracts that position our universities to continue to provide students with a high-quality education while being conscious of college costs.”

» READ MORE: Half of Pennsylvania’s state universities saw enrollment rise this fall

A spokesperson for the state system — which has 82,688 students and has continued to deal with enrollment declines — also declined comment. Enrollment has fallen more than 30% since 2010.

The two sides reached the tentative agreement in January following about 16 months of negotiations. The faculty have been working under the terms of the prior contract since June.

Under the previous contract, reached in 2019, the starting salary for a full-time instructor was $50,070, with a full-time experienced professor making $120,572 at the top of the scale.

The new contract also includes increases in stipends for chairs and assistant chairs, an increase in bereavement leave from two to four days and a provision to establish a joint labor management committee to improve the way the university considers student feedback on professors to limit bias, according to a source.

It also phases out a $15-per-student fee faculty received for teaching online courses. But faculty would get a $700 flat fee for teaching a single course in more than one mode of instruction, such as in person and hybrid.

The state system universities include West Chester, Cheyney, Kutztown, East Stroudsburg, Shippensburg, Indiana, Slippery Rock, Commonwealth, Penn West and Millersville.