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News Release T: 605.773.3455 |
For Immediate Release 21 July 1999 Board of Regents Reaches Agreement with Faculty Union PIERRE--The South Dakota
Board of Regents has approved an agreement with the Council of Higher Education (COHE),
the union representing the faculty of the six Regental universities. COHE members have ratified a contract that will
distribute salary increases for the next three years on the basis of individual
performance, market conditions and institutional priorities. COHE, an affiliate of the South Dakota Education
Association, negotiates salary and other working conditions for more than 1100 university
faculty members statewide. "We think that
this is the most progressive higher education collective bargaining agreement in the
country. It is all the more remarkable that
the contract will extend and govern salary negotiations for the next three years,"
said Regents President Harvey C. Jewett, IV. "This is a
performance-based contract that contains no across-the-board component," said Regents
Executive Director Robert T. Tad Perry. "COHE
sent its negotiators to the bargaining table ready to work on the issues. Because they were willing to move forward, we were
able to make progress in a very short time. Their
work with the Board lays a foundation that will strengthen the Regental system
academically. A performance-based salary
structure will award those outstanding faculty who contribute to the system and will
enable the universities to attract and retain people who will work for the success of the
students and the institutions." Jewett added,
"When the Regents devised a plan two years ago to increase faculty salaries, we asked
the students to bear a substantial share of the cost.
The Legislature also provided funding by allowing us to keep money that was saved
when we reduced the total number of employees in the system. In return we assured them that we would award the
increases to those who contributed the most to the quality of the education available at
the state universities. We resolved to
distribute salary increases in this manner. To
do otherwise would have been to break faith with the students and the legislators." The provisions of the
contract will apply to the salary increases for fiscal year 2000, which started on July 1
of this year. The contract will also govern
the FY01 and FY02 raises. The universities
will make their FY00 salary recommendations to the Board of Regents at its August business
meeting on the campus of Black Hills State University in Spearfish. This contract
agreement does not govern the determination of salary for faculty of the South Dakota
School for the Deaf or the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Negotiations for the special schools contract
continue. COHE does not
represent the faculties of the University of South Dakota Law School or Medical School,
the faculty of the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences at the South Dakota School of Mines
and Technology, the Cooperative Extension Service educators, the non-faculty exempt
employees, or the Career Service Act employees. For more information,
contact: Dr. Robert T. Tad Perry, Executive Director, or James F. Shekleton, General
Counsel, (605) 773-3455. -END- |
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