MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich., Nov. 2 (UPI) -- A non-binding report on the labor dispute between faculty members and Central Michigan University found in favor of the school on raises and benefits.
Barry Goldman of the Michigan Employment Relations Committee said the university, which has $228 million in unrestricted reserves, should not dig into the account for faculty wages, especially in tough economic times, The Detroit News reported Wednesday.
"Circumstances are bad and getting worse. It would be extremely unwise for CMU to eat its seed corn," Goldman wrote.
Members of the faculty union could not be reached for comment, the News said.
The union, however, has scheduled a meeting for members for early December. Previous to the report, a judge ruled the union was prohibited from calling a strike for 20 days after the report was issued.
The union had been asking for raises of 2.2 percent in 2011, 3.7 percent in 2012 and 3.9 percent in 2013. The school had offered no raise this year, a 2.25 percent raise in 2012 and a 2.5 percent raise in 2013.
Nonetheless, "There are two brute facts in this case. The first is that we are in Michigan in 2011. Politically and economically, there has never been a worse time for public-sector collective bargaining. The second is that CMU has money," Goldman wrote.
Goldman said the "CMU proposal of a zero increase in the first year and modest increases in subsequent years is not an unreasonable offer, all things considered."
