Significant progress is being made at the bargaining table, and events such as Monday’s picketing by the faculty union outside Anthony Hall create a false sense of crisis at the University, Margaret Winters, spokeswoman for the administration, says.

Although Monday’s picketing was well within the faculty union’s legal rights, Winters said such actions hurt the University’s image and are damaging to faculty and student recruitment efforts.

It creates the impression of a volatile situation, said Winters, associate vice chancellor for Academic Affairs.

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About 100 faculty union members protested the pace of negotiations during the two-hour period.

Winters said progress is being made at the table, and creating a crisis-like atmosphere promotes faculty union membership growth. This gives the faculty more bargaining power.

A confidential March 20 collective bargaining bulletin to deans, directors, and chairs elaborates Winters contention.

It is not uncommon for unions conducting initial bargaining to also engage in membership building activities, the bulletin states. Creating and sustaining a false sense of crisis appears to be an important strategy in that regard.

Winters said the picketing and chants of contract now will not likely influence members of either negotiating team.

There’s a lack of connection between what you’re seeing outside and the hard and serious work done at the table, she said of the picketers shouting outside her Anthony Hall office. People who are not at the table don’t understand what it’s like at the table.

In some ways what’s going on helps to undermine their efforts as well as ours. It’s discouraging seeing some association members undermine what they’re people are doing,

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Contrary to faculty claims that the administration is dragging its feet, Winters said both sides have spent more than 170 hours in negotiations.

In teaching they say you need two hours to prepare for every hour in the classroom, the same is true with negotiating.

We have had 29 negotiating sessions, but at the beginning we met much less frequently, she said. We also have had to negotiate ground rules and the interim contract, which failed.

Winters said both negotiating teams have met 13 times since January when faculty set a March deadline.

Winters said cries by faculty to meet more for longer hours in negotiations would not necessarily be fruitful.

We are meeting a reasonable number of times for a reasonable amount of hours and making progress, she said. Meeting for longer hours is not always productive because the fatigue factor sets in.

We are meeting as often as we can.

At the picket, many faculty members passed out literature some stating that SIUC salaries are abysmal. Union members have previously said that the money is available for increasing faculty salaries.

The March bulletin, however, states that many accounts cited by the union cannot be spent on salaries by law .

The University has presented written information to the union on this matter, the bulletin states. It has also offered to have the budget director meet with union negotiators and review any or all accounts. So far such offers have been rejected.

Also at the protest, union members passed out fliers stating Help us avoid a strike. The fliers list the phone numbers of all SIU Board of Trustees members and call on recipients to phone SIU President Ted Sanders or members of the board and ask why a contract has not been agreed upon.

Winters said calling those administrators may violate the ground rules agreed on by the faculty and administration. She said Sanders and members of the board will refer callers to their negotiating team.

Although the cries of picketers could be heard inside the building, administrators said business continued as usual.

It is their right, SIUC Chancellor Donald Beggs said. I know from my perspective I think our team is working hard with the association’s team to get a contract.

I personally think progress is being made.

Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost John Jackson agreed.

He said some concerned students contacted his office and questioned if they would have class Monday.

We have had questions from students, and this is generally not helping our image, Jackson said.

In response to the student concerns Jackson distributed a memo to department chairs and academic deans. The memo reminded faculty that they are required to teach their classes and that absences must be cleared with the department chair.