Erie Community College said it has reached a contract agreement with the Faculty Federation (FFECC) and Erie County after six years of negotiations.
The proposed contract would more than 900-full and part-time faculty members at ECC would receive annual pay raises through 2020 along with a ratification payment. The previous contract expired in 2009.
“The Faculty Federation of Erie Community College is pleased to announce that we have come to a tentative agreement with the College/County. This agreement if ratified, ends over six years of sometimes contentious negotiations for a successor agreement. I believe that this proposed agreement honors our institutions past, present and future by increasing salaries that will attract and retain quality educational professionals,” stated Andrew Sako, FFECC President.
The proposed contract includes a buyout offer for senior faculty in an effort to reduce health care costs that ECC and the county said will increased by nearly 27-percent in January of 2016. Those costs are projected to create a $1.9 million deficit for ECC’s 2015-16-budget.
If approved by union members, the new deal would cost the college $3-million for the next five years.
“I think it had been a longtime morale problem, and our hope now is that we’ll all be going in the same direction,” said ECC Board Chairman Stephen Boyd. “Not having a deal, of course, always creates tension.” We think the cost of doing nothing would have been greater. Boyd said that reaching a deal was the board’s top priority and that it allows us to be financially stable long term.
ECC is calling the tentative deal a ‘win/win’ as it restructures health insurance contributions for current and future retirees.
"Whenever we have an agreement this important, there will always be lots of people to thank. I want express my sincere gratitude to FFECC President Andrew Sako and his team, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and his team and CAFO William Reuter and Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs Kristin Klein Wheaton for continuing the discussions, along with the Erie County Legislature. Also, our trustees have shown patience, understanding and support as the college worked hard on this agreement. By reaching a fair labor agreement with our faculty, ECC has accomplished one of its priorities under ECC Excels and now positions itself to move forward aggressively to bring the other elements of ECC Excels to fruition and ensure student success,” said Jack Quinn, President, ECC.
ECC said the faculty partnered with the administration to come to hammer out the tentative agreement.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the county is pleased to have a contract in place after years without an agreement.
“Erie County continues to demonstrate its commitment to ECC by not only assisting in the negotiations but also by contributing over $2 million to the contract's terms,” said Poloncarz.
A ratification vote is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4th.
