If negotiations between administration and faculty turn sour, Columbus State Community College may find itself in a strike.

The Columbus State Education Association, which represents the college’s 250 full-time faculty, approved a strike authorization during meetings held on Jan. 14 and 15.

“A strike authorization is not a strike; it is a common practice in labor negotiations. The bargaining team is given authority to call a strike if they aren’t pleased with the negotiations,” said CSEA President Steve Abbott.

The faculty has been negotiating with the college administration since last March.

“Things have slowed down, we want to see a new proposal. The strike authorization is to let the administration know this can’t go on indefinitely,” Abbott said.

The two sides plan to meet this week and next to discuss many issues, said Tim Wagner, executive director of human resources at Columbus State. Wagner is the head negotiator for Columbus State.

Having some time between the negotiating sessions allows the two sides to cool down and bring new perspective to the next session, Wagner said.

Columbus State’s permanent faculty is seeking increased pay.

“Our pay is among the lowest in the state for community colleges. This is in stark contrast to the wealth of the school. Our increased enrollment has made the financial situation here much better,” Abbott said.

While he was not willing to disclose exact figures on union size or vote tallies, Abbott said the overwhelming majority of the union voted in favor of the strike authorization.

Wagner said the union needs to review its options and respond to the college’s proposals.

“They need to realize that they can’t get everything on the first round of negotiations. They need to ask themselves if it’s more important to get everything or get their foot in the door,” Wagner said.

To show their resolve to get a fair contract, about 100 members of the CSEA braved frigid temperatures last night to hold a candlelit march to the Columbus State Board of Trustees meeting.

The main salary issue the CSEA is bargaining for is a salary schedule, which sets up an increasing pay scale for faculty over a number of years. Most employees in public sector jobs have a salary schedule.

One member of the frozen crowd was Greg Goodhart, who teaches mathematics at Columbus State.

“We’re trying to show a light of hope that we’ll get a contract,” he said. “The board rejected the results of an independent fact-finding commission that recommended a salary schedule.”

Before entering the meeting, Abbott addressed the crowd.

“It is important to recognize that this is not a protest, it is an act of witness to Columbus State to show that our presence is our strength,” he said.

Abbott raised concerns about the actions of the Columbus State Board of Trustees.

“We’re looking at an administration that on one hand says it wants to cooperate with us and on the other hand tries to undermine us by distributing false information about our size and membership to other staff,” he said.

The large number that turned out in the cold weather became a rallying point for the members of the CSEA.

“We’re willing to stand out here in the cold to show our dedication and commitment to our students and our institution,” Abbott said.

Some are concerned a faculty strike will be detrimental to the quality of education for the more than 22,000 students at Columbus State.

“We are in a ‘caring profession’ which includes teachers, nurses and social workers, among others. We are emotionally blackmailed by our opponents in these situations. They say, ‘You wouldn’t do anything to hurt your students,’ and they blackmail us with our hearts,” Abbott said.

Wagner said he doesn’t feel the quality of education will be hampered by a potential strike.

“If this were to turn into a strike, it would likely be short, as most of these types of strikes are. We have a number of adjunct faculty who will not be affected by the strike and would continue to teach, and in a situation like this, you may find that some teachers will cross the picket line to teach because of their personal obligation to the students,” Wagner said.

Wagner said he is hopeful the situation will end quickly and without a strike.

“The college is dedicated to making this work, we have no interest in a work stoppage,” he said.