Wayne State faculty reaches deal

Students, professors and administrators all said they were happy to see the threat of a walkout lifted.

The agreement includes a four percent raise in each year of the contract.

With an 8 a.m. strike deadline looming, bargainers ended an all-night session with a settlement at 6:34 a.m., the American Association of University Professors-American Federation of Teachers said.

"Hey, we got a deal!" Margaret Raucher said yesterday morning as she passed a co-worker holding a picket sign in front of the Walter Reuther Library.

"Nobody ever wanted to go out. We've all dreaded it," said Raucher, an archivist at the library. "I'm absolutely ecstatic."

Fellow archivist Tom Featherstone agreed.

"I'm just glad to be back," he said.

The union said it did not win its demand that new employees be required to pay union fees. Wayne State did agree to send out union literature and applications to new staffers.

Of the 1,687 faculty and staff members covered by the contract, 463 are union members, and about 100 of those are in non-teaching jobs, the school says.

The union said it got a number of contract improvements, including:

n A paid Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

n Early retirement terms.

n Increased dental, long-term disability, and retirement life insurance benefits.

n Flex and compensatory time for academic staffers.

"We'd have liked to avoid the extended nature of the negotiations, but are delighted to have a settlement agreement," said Jeff Stoltman, WSU vice president for marketing and communication.

Pre-physical therapy student Jay Bhat of Windsor, Ontario, was upset that a strike came close to disrupting his education.

"I don't think they should punish the students," said Bhat, a WSU sophomore.

"All they care about is themselves. They don't care about the students," said Pindy Takhar, a pre-Pharmacy student from Windsor.

The professors have been working without a contract since July 31. They continued working on day-to-day extensions of their previous contract until voting to stage a one-day strike last Thursday. About 20 percent of classes were canceled during that walkout, Provost Marilyn Williamson said.

Studying in the food lounge at the student union this morning, junior psychology majors Shelley Harlen and Tiffani Simon said they had supported the faculty in the talks and were relieved that the strike threat was over.

"I'm happy if the teachers are happy," said Ms. Harlen of Detroit.

A one-page contract information sheet issued by the union this morning said a membership meeting would be held Monday at 3 p.m.

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