The following is a statement given to NBC25 Saturday night by Dr. Laura Frey, CMU Faculty Association President:
The CMU Faculty Association and administration bargaining teams met for almost five hours on Saturday with a MERC-appointed mediator, but still no settlement has been reached.
Despite the fact that classes are scheduled to begin on Monday for over 20,000 students, no further talks are planned Sunday.
“It is unfortunate that the administration prefers to jeopardize the beginning of the semester rather than bargain in good faith,” said Laura Frey, CMU Faculty Association President. “The administration remains adamant in its demands that the faculty accept drastic rollbacks and changes in benefits that will result in significant reductions in members’ take-home pay.”
The FA bargaining team reconfirmed its willingness to meet round-the-clock in an attempt to settle a fair and equitable contract prior to the scheduled beginning of classes. The MERCappointed mediator has not scheduled further negotiating sessions due to the administration’s unwillingness to discuss any compromise on major issues of the contract.
The Faculty Association has scheduled a closed-door membership meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday when the membership will determine what the next steps will be.
