As you may know, this is election time for APSCUF statewide. This morning APSCUF delegates from all 14 PASSHE universities cast ballots to determine who will lead us as we enter into a difficult negotiations year, face local and statewide retrenchment, and continue to mobilize our members on a range of key issues. In short, it was a serious day in Canonsburg, PA where assembly was held.
Perhaps the most watched and discussed contest in this election was for president and vice president. Both sets of candidates ran as slates. Current APSCUF president Steve Hicks ran again for president with current State Meet and Discuss chair Ken Mash. Rob Mutchnick, President of APSCUF at IUP and a member of State APSCUF Executive Committee ran with Deb Cornelius, President of Shippensburg’s APSCUF chapter.
The voting took placed this morning and I got word at about 10:30 this morning that Hicks and Mash won the elections by a 61/47 margin. I can only wish Steve and Ken all the luck in the world as we move into what promises to be a difficult negotiating year. I hope they know they can count on us at Kutztown to do our part. And I urge all APSCUF members around the state to do the same. This round of negotiations promises to test our mettle as a union. Let’s begin preparations now.
Kevin Mahoney
Christina Steffy
Amy LB
Thank you for the good wishes from Kutztown.
It is both an honor and privilege to be elected and re-elected your president.
Ken and I will continue to work to make sure retrenchment state-wide, but first at Kutztown, if done at all, is only done IF management can prove financial exigency.
Today at Assembly I showed a slide with KU’s 2009-10 finances on it — as reported by KU to the state system and Board — as of the end of Feb. That slide showed the university $550,000 in the black for this fiscal year, with another $11.5 million in “transfers”, which Howard Bunsis, our speaker y’day morning, called available money. With numbers like that, one wonders how “financial exigency” and “Kutztown” end up in the same sentence. Bunsis said (close to his words) “Kutztown and retrenchment shouldn’t be uttered in the same sentence.” Amen.
Next year will be a tough one for negotiating. Most of your readers know the multiple causes for this, so I won’t elaborate here. But we’ll be prepared. We’ve begun work on Mobilization (Kevin is involved), and the Chapter Presidents (Negotiations Committee) have begun the work of hiring a chief negotiator (a solicitation letter will be going out shortly) and we now have closed nominations for the next Negotiations Team and will make this decision for next year in the next few weeks. Yesterday we approved appropriate mobilization expenses and a mobilization budget. We are getting ready; we will be ready.
Thanks again for the supportive words and the support of all at KU APSCUF.
And, Mr. Blog person, keep that snake.
I join Steve in thanking you for the kind wishes from KU, and I, too, am honored at having the chance to serve my colleagues.
There is much more work to be done, especially at KU, and I look forward to working with APSCUF KU’s leadership team to move forward!