University of Missouri's faculty union against cutbacks meant to raise pay

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- A faculty and staff union at the University of Missouri has come out against a plan to fund pay increases through cutbacks.

The university's plan would free up about $7 million to increase professors' salaries to make the school more competitive compared to other universities.

The university has not finalized how it will get the money, but has mentioned several ideas, including adopting a faculty hiring freeze on 30 to 35 positions, combining administrative functions or consolidating services.

Robert Smale, an assistant professor of history, said professors need a pay increase, but the university's plan could end up "cannibalizing" the school.

"They have correctly diagnosed the problem, but they are incapable of coming up with a viable solution," said Smale of the university's National Education Association branch.

Smale and other campus NEA members are particularly critical of a possible hiring freeze.

They say it would likely increase class size and burden professors with more work -- hurting the quality of instruction.

"The hiring freeze, I don't think, is the way to go," said Michael Ugarte, a Spanish professor at Missouri.

Vice Provost Brian Foster, who helped formulate the pay increase plan, said university leaders are looking for ways to minimize extra work. For example, the university might opt to have small classes taught less often. Another idea is to combine classes if two departments happen to be teaching similar classes.

Smale said the plan has upset many people who work at the university, but most won't speak out for the fear of "drastic fiscal retaliation."

The union is about two years old and has 18 members, Smale said. Statewide the Missouri National Education Association touts 33,000 members.

Smale and others said the school should work at increasing state funding through the General Assembly.

Foster said he doesn't disagree that the school should get more money from the legislature.

"But the fact is the level of state funding has just not been enough to keep us competitive," Foster said. "That, together with the tuition cap, has left us with little choice but to find some other ways to make ourselves competitive."

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Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com