Stockton Teachers Federation Makes Case to Board of Trustees

Members of the faculty have not been attending functions such as Open Houses and held a day of protest, and on Wednesday, Dec. 7, the Stockton Federation of Teachers wanted to explain their reasons to the school’s Board of Trustees.

So when it came time for the public comment portion of the Board of Trustees meeting, three people got up to speak, led by the Federation of Teachers’ president, Tim Haresign.

“We’re not sure if the board knows what’s going on,” said Haresign, a member of Stockton’s faculty for 19 years. “They all care about the college, but they’re full-time employees (in other businesses). They hear one side, and we want to make sure they understand our perspective. We want them to understand why, and we want them to know we’re unhappy.”

Board of Trustees members are not paid, and thus work outside jobs.

Stockton professors have been working without a contract since September, and other members of the staff have been working without a contract since July. It’s all due to contentious, ongoing contract negotiations with the state.

The unions have been negotiating with representatives for the presidents of the nine state colleges and the governor’s office, who have 68 proposals on the table, want to take away the unions’ collective health care agreement, take away sabbaticals, and not allow faculty members to be reimbursed for career development training, according to Stockton Federation of Teachers co-chair Michael McGarvey.

“The state is not giving us provisions that were in our previous contract,” McGarvey said, stating that in the past, provisions have remained in place until the sides settled on a new contract.  

Because it is a state issue, the Stockton Board of Directors has no influence over the negotiations, Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp said. 

“If all the boards (from the different colleges) acted together, they could have some influence,” McGarvey said. 

“It’s not appropriate for this or any other board to do it,” Saatkamp said. “They need to go to the state.”

“The board appreciates the concerns of the faculty, but there are well defined channels that must be followed,” Board of Trustees Chair Stanley Ellis said. “You must raise these issues at the bargaining table. The president and the Board of Trustees have no place in negotiations.”

Still, members of the federation handed out petitions for trustees to sign showing their support for the federation. They also handed copies of Benjamin Ginsburg’s book, The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the All-Administrative University and Why It Matters.

They also asked trustees to attend a March 27 meeting with the school’s Senate and Assembly to discuss the book, which discusses a college culture in which administrators continue to add to administration and staffers’ payrolls while laying off faculty members.

“They heard what we had to say,” Haresign said. “The union has asked them to appeal to the governor.”

According to Haresign, there are 285 full-time faculty members at Stockton and 230 adjunct professors, all covered by the federation’s contract. The federation also represents 120 professional staff members, he said.

McGarvey said statewide, the Communications Workers of America, I-90 and Plant Management were also involved in negotiations, bringing the total to about 800 people working without a contract at the moment.

Faculty Senate President Michael Frank also spoke on behalf of the federation, as did McGarvey, who also requested trustees sign a petition asking Gov. Chris Christie to increase funding for public colleges and universities.

“New Jersey now ranks 49th in the country in per capita support for higher education,” McGarvey said. “More high school students leave New Jersey to attend out of state institutions than in any other state. New Jersey is among national leaders in replacing full-time faculty with part-time instructors. Current contract proposals by the state will dramatically cut the standard of living of faculty and staff, making it difficult to attract and retain talented and experienced professionals.”