A Pocket Guide to Negotiating Your Small-College Contract

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We recently represented our colleagues in discussions with the administration of our institution, Saint Anselm College, about faculty compensation. Inspired by our experience and by "Don't Blame Faculty for High Tuition," the article accompanying the AAUP's 2003-04 Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, we decided to compile a guide for other professors at similar institutions-small, private liberal arts colleges-who are called on to negotiate salary packages without the benefit of collective bargaining status.1 Faculty benefits committees will want to consult other data, such as national trends in faculty salaries and the findings presented in "Don't Blame Faculty," to understand the context for the economic status of the profession. Here, we share our recommendations for developing a reasonable and fair compensation package acceptable to both faculty members and administrators.

Compensation discussions should be approached as a two-phase process. What happens before you meet with the administration is just as important as what happens in formal discussions.

Before You Start Talking

First, the faculty committee needs to become familiar with nationwide faculty salary trends. "Don't Blame Faculty" showed a large disparity between increases in 2003-04 tuition and fees (14 percent for public institutions and 6 percent for private institutions) and the growth in the average faculty salary (2.1 percent).

To complete the context for comparisons, a faculty committee should also study the relationship between salary increases and the real net cost of tuition (tuition and financial aid) published annually by the College Board. We found remarkable similarities between increases in real net tuition and faculty salaries, suggesting that although colleges continue to increase their published tuition, they also boost their financial aid packages to keep the real cost of college at a rate that parallels inflation. This strategy may influence the overall plan for the financial assets of the college and faculty salary increases.2 This information is useful for a faculty negotiating team. Here are some other points to take into consideration.

Faculty committee dynamics. Put together a team of faculty colleagues, from different ranks and disciplines if possible, who bring diverse skills to the table. It would be helpful if one or more members had a statistical background. The members should take time to get to know one another's work and communication styles. Compensation discussions require members to assume various roles and responsibilities, and determining each person's area of interest and skills will allow you to divide tasks effectively. But keep in mind that faculty members still have to do their day jobs while they are negotiators, so their time is limited.

Communication with previous faculty team. Talk to the faculty members who negotiated the previous contract at your institution. What procedures did they follow? Which arguments and strategies did they find most and least effective? Did they collect and analyze data on salaries and benefits from previous years? If so, do the data still exist? Trace the history of faculty salaries and benefits on your campus in relation to changing economic, demographic, and institutional conditions. Find out whether any commitments were made to past committees. Was a time frame established for accomplishing any collectively agreed upon goals? How do the goals fit into longrange institutional planning and development? Look for a paper trail-such commitments may exist in correspondence or minutes from earlier committee meetings. Faculty compensation does not exist in a vacuum; it is part of the overall plan for institutional growth. College administrators view it in this context, and faculty compensation committees must do the same.

Background Information. Learn about the needs and concerns of the faculty. The demographic profile of the faculty may yield different perspectives on faculty priorities. For example, an older faculty member may be most concerned about a strong retirement package or early retirement incentives, while salary increases and health-care benefits may matter more to younger faculty members. It helps to conduct a survey (through Web-based or paper forms, e-mail, or word of mouth) to determine faculty priorities in terms of salary, benefits, and general working conditions. A survey will provide the information you require to develop a compensation package that will meet the needs of most faculty on your campus.

Your role. You need to know the legal context of your situation. Private colleges face unique conditions that do not exist for faculty at public institutions in states that have legislation permitting public employees, including faculty, to unionize. Due to the 1980 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in National Labor Relations Board v. Yeshiva University, faculty in private colleges who share managerial responsibilities with the administration cannot unionize or enter into collective bargaining agreements under the National Labor Relations Act. Small private colleges often rely on a faculty governing organization (such as a faculty senate) to represent the faculty in discussions with the administration about compensation and other matters. A faculty senate does not have the same status as a union formed under authorizing legislation. But such faculty bodies, especially if backed politically by a strong AAUP chapter, can enter into discussions with an administration from a position of strength.