We must protect the faculty's appropriate role in the university and the quality of our students' education. If campus administrators do not respect faculty recommendations, we further urge all faculty whose awards are reduced administratively to use the appeal process to restore their awards. Each faculty member succeeds because of the efforts of all. The vast majority of faculty work very hard and should be recognized for their service to their students, their professions, and the university. Competition among faculty detracts from the collaboration and collegiality crucial for educational effectiveness.
Bargaining requires a willingness to compromise.
The CSU administration has resisted compromise, with the knowledge that ultimately they could, in the absence of an agreement, run the FMI program another year. This intransigent attitude must change if the bargaining relationship between the administration and the faculty is to become a productive one. The strategy outlined above for dealing with the FMI process in the absence of an agreement allows faculty to assert the principle behind our proposal to use FMI monies for SSI eligibility until the impact of the program can be assessed. Unilateral imposition by the CSU administration is no substitute for real negotiations. Your active support will constitute a strong message to the CSU administration that they can no longer rely on unilateral imposition to avoid good faith bargaining.