CSU Trustees approve new faculty merit pay system

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The CSU Board of Trustees in late March approved a merit pay process for CSU faculty -- for 40 percent of the salary increase pool, which campus officials say could be awarded "to well over half of all faculty unit employees." The campus merit pool for faculty is $908,000.

The process required all 1,100 Fresno State faculty to complete and submit four-page activity reports by last week.

Tom Ebert, associate vice president for academic affairs, said the merit-pay process should not have been a big surprise, since it is similar to the one incorporated in the tentative agreement made Jan. 26 between the CSU and the bargaining agent, CFA.

The tentative agreement was defeated statewide Feb. 26, but a controversial resolution approved March 17 by the CSU Trustees Committee on Collective Bargaining implementing systemwide employment policies contained the merit pay funding and the basic process for awarding the money.

"The Faculty Merit Increase Program is an opportunity to recognize the work of the many faculty who are making notable contributions to the life of our academic community," Ebert said. The recognition will come in the form of permanent salary increases from the merit pay pool of $908,000, more than double the amount available last year, $428,000.

A second base pool of $52,000 for department chairs was also established and will be augmented with about another $52,000 from the merit pay pool, reducing the faculty amount to $856,000, Ebert said.

He explained that last year's pool was awarded in 331 steps at 2.4 percent each and that this year's amount could total 662 steps. However, the faculty will no longer be given steps but rather a percentage increase, Ebert said.

All faculty members regardless of time base -- including full- and part-time lecturers, probationary and tenured instructional faculty, librarians, coaches, and counselor faculty -- are expected to complete activity reports, Ebert said.

"While I cannot predict the exact number that will get an increase, I expect that well over half of all faculty unit employees will be receiving merit pay," Ebert said. "Each faculty member will be considered."

Engineering professor Chandra Brahma, CFA chapter president, said some faculty members are angry about the process but submitted the required reports "under protest" to avoid charges of insubordination.

"I think the people in general have nothing against merit pay -- nobody is cautioning against merit pay -- but rather the way they are going about it," Brahma told the Journal. "If the outcome is not what they think it should be, expect lots of grievances."

The activity reports, which will be placed in the open personnel file, cover three areas: teaching, including contributions to student development and other primary work assignments; scholarly and creative activities, including professional development and practice; and university and community service.

Faculty were asked to submit two reports, the first for the period ending June 30, 1998 and the second for the period, July 1 to Dec. 31, 1998. Ebert said this will put faculty on an annual cycle for future years.

Merit pay program materials were mailed to faculty members' homes on March 25, a week after the CSU Trustees approved the resolution. In his cover letter, Ebert expressed regret that the university could not provide additional time for faculty to prepare the reports. He told the Journal that faculty failing or refusing to comply could face an appropriate personnel action.

The merit pay is in addition to a 2.5 percent annual general salary increase for all faculty and an additional 1.5 percent service-based salary increase for eligible faculty, most of whom are junior faculty.

The general and service-based salary increases are retroactive to Oct. 1, 1998, and merit increases are retroactive to July 1, 1998.

The CSU and CFA had been bargaining since February 1998 and will continue bargaining on a new contract for the fiscal year 1999/2000.