“The College administration is disappointed that the Faculty and Staff Federation (the Federation) of Community College of Philadelphia is calling for a strike just weeks before the semester’s end.
Late Tuesday evening, the Federation forwarded its pre-strike demand. Unfortunately, the Union sought raises of more than 26 percent over the life of the contract. The Union’s demands would increase the College’s current costs by $82.8 million, which is $73.5 million higher than the amount of the College administration’s proposals in the best and final offer. The other key sticking points are: Management rights giving the administration greater flexibility to respond to workforce training demands; a proposed 30-credit hour workload for new faculty, which would bring CCP full-time faculty in line with peers nationally, and employee contributions toward healthcare costs.
While the College deeply appreciates the work and contributions of its employees, these negotiations will lay a foundation for future student success. They will affect how much more tuition students will pay, not only in the next academic year but also for years to come.
The best and final offer presented by the administration last May continues the College’s tradition of providing employees with competitive salaries and top-tier benefits. Under the College administration’s offer, the starting instructor salary at CCP will be among the highest for community colleges in Pennsylvania – nearly $10,000 higher than Bucks County Community College and Montgomery County Community College, with better benefits.
Therefore, we fail to see any reasonable basis for a strike, and are disappointed in the union’s decision to interrupt the Spring semester just as planning for the May 4, 2019 commencement festivities had begun.”
For more details on the best and final offer, please visit the College’s Negotiations Fact Center at https://www.myccp.online/fact-center-negotiations
– Statement from Linda Wallace, Director of Communications, Community College of Philadelphia
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