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Administration hoping for smooth negotiations
By Carol Biliczky
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Thursday, Apr 03, 2008
Kent State University administrators have offered to provide full benefits for gay and lesbian partners in a one-year extension of the faculty contract.
Associate provost Gayle Ormiston sent a proposal to the American Association of University Professors last week that, if approved, would short-circuit the contentious contract talks that lasted a year in the last go-round.
KSU faculty have sought domestic-partner benefits for at least 10 years, said Deb Smith, grievance chair for the Kent State chapter of the American Association of University Professors and an associate professor of philosophy.
''At least four other universities (in Ohio) offer partner benefits,'' KSU spokesman Ron Kirksey said. ''We already do and have for a while covered domestic partners in our sick-leave policy. So what we're doing is extending what we offer.''
The administration's offer also includes a 3 percent raise, which is what faculty received this year, and Kent State's promise to maintain health-care costs and benefits at the current level. Faculty were required for the first time to pay health-care premiums of 10 to 30 percent in their last contract.
Faculty approved a three-year contract in 2005 that will expire in August. Negotiations for a new contract were to start this spring, said Smith, the AAUP officer.
She said she did not know how many faculty would benefit by the proposed policy, which would cover domestic partners in both same-sex and heterosexual relationships.
The policy would require domestic partners to sign an affidavit of domestic partnership; to prove their relationship with joint bank accounts and other verifiable documents; and to be in the relationship for at least six months ''and intending to remain in that relationship indefinitely,'' according to the proposal.
The benefits would include medical, dental, life, personal accident insurance and tuition remission at the same contribution level applicable to a spouse.
In the past, the KSU administration has maintained that domestic-partner benefits were illegal under Ohio law. Voters passed a defense of marriage law in November 2004 that outlaws gay marriage.
But universities since have said that they received clarification that the bill was not meant to apply to them and that trustees for each institution could offer them if they wish.
Universities that offer domestic-partner benefits include Ohio State, Wright State and Miami, whose benefits were upheld last fall by a state court of appeals. The court maintained that the Ohio lawmaker who challenged the benefits had no standing, because he was not employed by the university and because Miami used privately raised dollars to pay for the benefits.
Kent State's proposal to extend the contract must be approved by faculty with tenure, which in essence means lifetime employment. Non-tenure-track faculty are in the AAUP but bargain separately.
The contract extension also would need approval of the KSU trustees and trustees for the Kent State Foundation, which raises private money to support the university. It is unclear whether the benefits would be paid by the foundation.
At least 150 universities across the country provide domestic-partner benefits.
Carol Biliczky can be reached at 330-996-3729 or cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com.
Kent State University administrators have offered to provide full benefits for gay and lesbian partners in a one-year extension of the faculty contract.
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