"The faculty senate in April voted no confidence in the administration's "Bridge to the Future" plan to address an $18 million budget deficit, and the vote "underscores the fact that the university made its layoff decisions before it had sufficient evidence to support them. That is a violation of the collective bargaining agreement," the arbitrator wrote in her decision."
""[The decision] forces the university to respect the concept of shared governance," union president Bill Knight told OPB. "It's a reminder to the university that they can't simply make arbitrary administrative decisions without involving the faculty.""
"The budget cuts were successful in closing the deficit, OPB reported. Recent financial documents show the university saved more than $12.3 million-about 88 full-time faculty positions-in its academic affairs division. But more personnel cuts are likely. In September, the Portland State University Board of Trustees approved a plan to address a $35 million shortfall over two years."
An independent arbitrator found that Portland State University violated its collective bargaining agreement and ordered reinstatement of 10 faculty members. The arbitrator determined that layoff decisions were made before sufficient evidence supported them and that the university failed to follow the contract's required procedure for economic layoffs. PSU-AAUP filed a grievance after 17 non-tenure-track professors were laid off; seven other employees declined to grieve. The university closed its immediate deficit, saving over $12.3 million, but additional personnel cuts are likely as a $35 million shortfall is planned to be addressed over two years.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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