SCCC faculty union: Pay cuts for everyone

Suffolk County Community College's 2,000-member faculty union is weighing reopening its contract, which has another year to run, but only if the top 24 administrators "lead by example" and make concessions, too.

None of the deal has been disclosed, but several county sources say several elements include "two years of zeros" and extending the contract to 2015, saving about $3 million.

But the fate of a deal is in question because the college's board of trustees will also consider Thursday a resolution upping executive vice president George Gatta's salary to $206,950 from $200,000.

Ellen Schuler Mauk, president of the faculty union which represent 495 full-time and 1,500 adjunct staff, acknowledged "active talks" are under way. She said no deal has been finalized. Schuler Mauk would not comment about a wage freeze or if step increases are included, but said a deal could extend the contract to 2015. The current contract gives faculty a 3 percent raise in September.

But Schuler Mauk warned the trustees vote on Gatta's contract "will determine whether the trustees are serious about addressing the fiscal needs of the students and the institution."

Gatta, who until early 2009 made $163,500 a year as executive vice president, got a $36,500 raise by serving as interim president, but kept the higher salary though he returned to his old job in March. The resolution giving Gatta a new contract was revised Tuesday for a third time since it first surfaced in March. Schuler Mauk declined to comment on the new resolution. Board chairman Ernesto Mattace and Gatta declined to comment.

County Executive Steve Levy supported the union, saying "management should live with the same concessions the union does."

Union concessions could be crucial to the college, which last month proposed a $189.4-million 2010-11 budget, which carries a $200 tuition increase.

The revision, which surfaced last week put Gatta in the exempt administrator salary plan and would give him a $6,950 raise, dating back to Feb. 20. But it would have also put off the impact of his taking any concessions until Feb. 20, 2011, six months after other administrators.

The latest resolution puts Gatta into the administrators' salary plan in September, when other administrators get step increases. That would eliminate the retroactive pay hike and any delay in Gatta making concessions. Also added to the trustee agenda is a new resolution, saying top administrators will match union concessions of any deal.

Top paid Suffolk County Community College Administrators

Shaun McKay

, president, $230,000

George Gatta

, executive vice president, $200,000

James Canniff

, academic vice president, $162,754

Nancy Stier

, financial vice president, $157,250

Mary Lou Araneo

, institutional advancement vice president, $153,956

Joanne Braxton

, planning vice president, $153,956

Top paid Nassau Community College Administrators

Donald Astrab

, president, $230,000

John Ostling

, academic vice president, $197,262

Alan Gurien

, financial vice president, $177,643

Kenneth Saunders

, academic student services vice president, $167,873

Joseph Muscarella

, administrative vice president, $160,000

Dennis Gai

, dean of management information systems, $159,489