Faculty union members began voting Tuesday on whether to accept a contract agreement proposed by California State University administrators.
Members have until Thursday to vote on the proposed agreement of a base salary increase of 20.7 percent for the 2006 to 2010 contract cycle. The salaries could increase up to 24.87 percent to adjust for raises.
The proposed contract is in favor of what the faculty union wanted, said Charlie Turner, union spokesman and political science professor.
"It's a pretty solid deal," Turner said. "People are pretty happy with it."
Turner has spoken with faculty members at department meetings and has not spoken with anyone who is opposed to the proposed contract.
He sees the deal proposed by the CSU as a win for the California Faculty Association, he said.
"It's closer to what the CFA wanted than what the CSU wanted," Turner said.
The CFA and the CSU have negotiated for almost two years over the contract for the 2006 to 2010 academic years. A third party was brought in twice to help resolve the disputes.
A third party fact-finder recommended faculty salaries be increased by 24.87 percent over four years, which includes possible raises.
The CSU based its proposal on the fact-finder's report, which was released to the public March 25, CSU spokeswoman Claudia Keith said.
If the faculty union votes not to approve the contract, the CSU can force the contract on the faculty, and the faculty could strike.
Physics professor David Kagan is disappointed that an agreement could not be reached without almost having a strike, he said.
The faculty union announced March 21 that it would strike if no agreement was made by April 6. Because a tentative agreement was made before the deadline, the strikes were indefinitely postponed.
Kagan thinks the salaries will help the school become a better place for students and faculty, he said.
Chico State has not had the opportunity to obtain the best faculty members because its salaries are not competitive with other universities across the country, he said.
"It's so hard to recruit the best faculty when you have the worst salary," Kagan said.
If the union approves the contract, the agreement will be brought to the CSU board of trustees for approval. The board is scheduled to meet in May to approve the decision, CSU spokeswoman Clara Potes-Fellow said. Once approved, the faculty will receive back pay dating from July 1, 2006.
Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@theorion.com
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