Portland State University will spend $6.4 million on faculty raises, hopes to net good will

Under a new contract tentatively agreed to Sunday, Portland State University will give its faculty $6.4 million worth of raises over the next year and a half, officials said Monday. That is $2.8 million more than the university had said it could afford in its March 7 "final offer," so the university will have to spend more from savings than it planned and "continue to sharpen our pencils" to look for efficiencies or other savings, President Wim Wiewel said Monday. The new contract, which still must be voted on by the faculty union's roughly 900 members, will largely give the union what is sought during 11 months of negotiations, including more multi-year contracts for non-tenure-track instructors, an end to faculty pay below $40,000 and no change in the union's say over procedural rules for tenure decisions. Raises will not be nearly as large as the union had requested but about three times as large as the administration's initial offer. Must be Nice Everyone I know has Not had a Pay Increase in Over SEVEN Years!! Think I need to join a Union! www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2014/04/por...rpt-1