Both sides happy with FSCC talks, salary agreement

Fort Scott Community College administrators and instructors said they are pleased with the outcome of recent salary negotiations that concluded about two weeks ago.

On May 18, FSCC Association of Professional Employees (FS-CAPE) representatives reached an agreement with FSCC administrators to end negotiations for the 2007-08 school year. This month, the FSCC Board of Trustees approved a list of changes to the negotiated agreement, which includes a slight pay increase for more than 50 full-time FSCC instructors next year.

FSCC President Jim Miesner, who represented FSCC administrators during the discussions, said both parties used the Interest Based Bargaining (IBB) process this year to conduct negotiations.

"They (negotiations) went very well," Miesner said. "We used the IBB process, which is a much more informal, much more friendly type of discussion."

IBB is a series of informal talks about salary and other issues that affect both sides of a dispute. Teachers and administrators solved all of their needs through the IBB process without needing to proceed to formal negotiations, which are typically more lengthy and complicated, Miesner said.

Both parties have used this process to solve their disputes with much success over the last several years, he said.

"It allows us to talk informally about what our needs are without going to the formal level," Miesner said.

FS-CAPE representative and FSCC teacher Jeff Locke agreed, saying that he was very impressed with the overall flow of the discussions through the IBB process. Locke and FSCC instructor Harold Hicks represented teachers during negotiation sessions.

"We're in problem solving now," Locke said. "I think both sides understand each other, and it's refreshing, because it keeps up the morale of the employees. They (discussions) were done with maturity, and both sides were very respectful."

The IBB process is defined as a negotiation strategy in which parties collaborate to find a "win-win" solution to their dispute. The process focuses mainly on developing mutually beneficial agreements based on the interests of both parties, including needs, desires, concerns and fears important to both sides, which are the reasons people typically become involved in conflicts.

"IBB requires trust, free exchange of information, and no hidden agendas on either side," Locke said. "We're floating a ship here and we want to make sure the boat floats high."

More than half of the group of full-time teachers at FSCC are also members of the Kansas National Education Association, which gives those teachers the ability to call KNEA officials for help during negotiations, if needed, Locke said. All FSCC teachers become FS-CAPE members when they are hired, he said.

Teachers and administrators also agreed to make changes to the salary schedule, a tier system that is designed to pay FSCC teachers based on the amount of experience and education they obtain. The more education a teacher has acquired, the higher his or her compensation will be, Miesner said.

Both sides agreed to remove a step from the bottom of the salary tier, which includes teachers with bachelors degrees, and to add a step to the top of the tier, which includes teachers who have earned a Ph.D.. This change resulted in about a 2.5 percent pay raise for all full-time instructors and will also result in higher beginning salaries for first-year teachers, Miesner said.

"There are steps on there (salary schedule) that faculty can achieve to increase their educational credentials," he said.

The base salary for teachers at the bottom level of the salary schedule will increase next year due to the changes.

Both sides also agreed to add one percent to the base salary figure in each column on the salary schedule, which also means more money for teachers.

"Everyone in the column will get a raise on top of what they already get for that column," Locke said.

Miesner said that changes to the salary schedule will affect all instructors at the college and allow FSCC to become more competitive with teacher salaries in USD 234 and USD 235.

Locke said both sides took positive steps toward making continued improvements to the salary schedule that began last year. Administrators approved the pay hikes for FSCC teachers almost unanimously, he said.

"We're all tremendously happy about it," Locke said. "Overall, it's a good extension of advancements that were made last year."

Another item that both sides approved includes the removal of certain language from the college's early retirement policy that expires on July 1, 2007, when eligible FSCC employees must announce their retirement in order to receive one of two benefit packages available at FSCC. After that date, only one retirement plan will be available to employees who meet eligibility requirements.

FSCC administrators and teachers also agreed to work on other issues next school year, including the discussion of overload pay for instructors who teach more than the required 30 credit hours each year; activity stipends, faculty advisement opportunities, pay for clinical instructors in the FSCC nursing program, and clinical pay for the FSCC dental hygiene program.

Incoming president Clayton Tatro, who will replace the retiring Miesner in July, sat in on the negotiations to get a grasp of issues he will begin handling later this year.