School News

Hofstra professors union set to strike

Contract deal must be met by Wednesday at midnight

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Faculty union leaders at Hofstra University have authorized a strike if a new five-year agreement with the administration is not reached by the time the professors’ contract expires at midnight on Aug. 31.

Though the deal is coming down to the wire, administration officials say they are confident that a deal will be reached before the deadline passes.

Hofstra employs about 725 full-time and part-time, or adjunct, professors. Each of them is a member of the college’s chapter of the American Association of University professors, the union responsible for negotiating contracts.

The looming strike comes at a time when Hofstra is preparing for the first of three presidential debates on Sept. 26, which many perceive as a bargaining chip in negotiations, said AAUP chapter President Dennis Mazzocco.

“One would think logically that this would be great, it would make it much easier to negotiate and get a settlement,” he said. “It hasn’t played out that way yet, or we wouldn’t have had to ask the membership for a strike authorization last Wednesday.”

According to Mazzocco, who is a tenured professor in the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, the faculty is balking over salaries and rising out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Faculty members contribute 25 percent towards the cost of their health plans. That prohibits many of the adjunct professors from enrolling, he said. The faculty is also looking for a 15 percent raise over five years.

Though enrollment had declined during the mid- to late 2000s, it has picked up, with Hofstra currently boasting a total enrollment of 10,870. With its enrollment increasing, Mazzocco said, he believes the university has the funds to meet the faculty’s needs. During the contract negotiations, union leaders are granted to access to the school’s finances. After thoroughly examining the books, union leaders found that Hofstra’s net assets have increased consistently over the last 15 years. According to Mazzocco, the school would argue that much of the revenue is tied up in endowment and restricted funds, but he believes that is not the case.

“According to our financial analysis, a lot of the money is unrestricted,” he said. “They have enough funds to give us a decent raise, and certainly executive compensation at Hofstra has dramatically increased in those 15 years.”

School officials, though, say they believe that a settlement can be reached before midnight on Wednesday.

“Negotiations between the AAUP and the university are continuing,” a statement released by the school said. “We’re confident that a mutually agreeable conclusion will be reached this week. The authorization vote is standard operating procedure during a negotiation.”

There have only been two instances when Hofstra’s professors union has gone on strike since the chapter first formed in 1973 — the last time lasting six days in September 1988. According to Mazzocco, the union and the university have met 18 times since the first collective bargaining meeting in February. The two sides will continue to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday leading up to the midnight deadline, he said.

“The Hofstra administration is taking a very tough line with us,” Mazzocco said.

Still, he said, he’s “cautiously optimistic” that a deal would be reached in time.