Meeting called to order at 9:05 AM.  Present were Secretary-Treasurer Kemble Yates (SOU), Jim Etchison (OIT), Greg Monahan (EOU) , and Steve Gibbons (WOU).  Also present:  Mark Nelson, Bill Linden, and Danelle Romain. 

Kemble Yates called the meeting to order at 9:05.  Minutes from November meeting were delayed until February meeting.

Campus reports:

SOU:

• Bargaining: APSOU has settled.  Got “floor” system; annual steps by rank; 2% annual bumps with 4 ranks; raises occur January 1, 2006 and January 1, 2007; disciplinary adjustments kick in in November, 2006 if SOU enrollments increase sufficiently; each faculty member gets $1250 professional activity money for 2005-06 and at least $750 for 2006-07 (with $500 more contingent on sufficient enrollment increases; health benefits fully covered through life of contract (until September, 2007.

• The average salary increase for APSOU members from the beginning of the biennium to the end is 9.6%; if the disciplinary adjustments kick, it will rise to 10.5%.

• The SOU Presidential search is beginning.

WOU:

• Union negotiations have stalled; mediation is scheduled for January 30-31.  Management’s final offer was for about 7% aggregate increase over the biennium.  Strike vote will follow mediation.

• Western’s 150th anniversary will be celebrated on January 18, 2006.

EOU:

• Sides are still far apart in bargaining.  Management’s offer is for 0% and 1%.  Bargaining clock runs out in March.

• President has asked all units to cut back 3%.  Meanwhile his new Business College dreams are going full speed ahead.

OIT:

• All retirees working on 1039 contracts got noticed effective June, 2006.

• They’ve contracted out the Print Center.

• Enrollment has dropped about 3.9%.

• Their Faculty Senate has some senators strongly opposing faculty use of their health center.

• Salaries will rise an average of 6.9% this year; next year is unknown.

Treasurer’s report: 

We’re a little behind on dues collection and significantly behind budget on litigation fund collection.  We need to do another appeal soon.

Legislative Update (Mark Nelson):

• Revenues for state are up $345 M.  Corporate kicker is likely to kick, as is personal kicker.

• Mark requested we help AOF get estimates of campus cost and salary package plans for 2005-06.  AOF also needs campus base expenditures amount for this fiscal year.

• Mark met with big campus presidents.  Ray (OSU) is still looking for $$ to put into 2006-07 faculty salaries.  Many in OUS want AOF’s help in getting OUS out of PEBB.  Frohnmayer (UO) – cordial, but no substance.  He did ask for AOF’s help in letting OUS keep interest on our accounts instead of it all going to DAS.  Bernstine (PSU) unhappy with how OUS has not accounted for enrollment increases at PSU in the “cell model”.  PSU has settle with its faculty union; increase will be about 8% for average faculty member.

• Chancellor Pernsteiner and Neil Bryant:  have already begun planning for 2007-09 budget request.  Governor Kulongoski talks of a minimum 10% increase for OUS.  Pernsteiner and Bryant claim that would all get eaten up in roll-up costs.  They pushed for AOF help in getting OUS out of PEBB (at least the unclassified employees).  Gov, SEIU strongly opposed.  Mark will try to get us data from a study which shows that unclassified folks are healthier/less expensive to insure.  P and B are amicable toward steps, but view it as an individual campus decision.

• Mark and Bill met some of the Governor’s staff.  Jim Sager (the Higher Ed lead) wants us/OUS to present a specific compensation package proposal.  Pat Egan is the current chief of the Governor’s staff.

• OSA (the Oregon Student Association) is framing their priorities for the 2007-09 legislative session.  Faculty salaries will likely be one of their priorities.

Faculty member on OUS Board:

Gerry Richmond is (finally) leaving the Board.  We need to work with the IFS to produce a name a good faculty member to lobby the Governor for.  Perhaps Rick can contact the IFS president and we can coordinate strategy.

PERS:

PERS Board appears to be giving in on White case.  The reserves will be scaled back and more funds credited to members’ accounts. 

“Window retiree” case will be filed this month.  This involves people who retired in the April 2000 to April 2004 timeframe.  OPRI has now joined PERS coalition.

Tuition Reduction:

Pernsteiner appears to have cooled to us on this.  AOF will file rule change.

Meeting adjourned at 11:40 AM