YOUR COMMENTS

As far as I can tell, the infamous 3.2% raise is not a last best offer. It is just a preliminary offer. Doubtless, the union will agree to a final contract which falls far short of the current demands.

Most of the money which is used to pay the professors does NOT come from the NH taxpayers. As others have pointed out, tuition is high. This is one of the most expensive state schools in America---although, it's also one of the best schools, happily.

The university also gets a cut of all the research grants the professors bring in. Additionally, the university gets direct grants. Moreover, it runs a variety of businesses on campus, it rents out dorm rooms, it sells food at the dining halls, etc., etc. Finally, the UNH Foundation has a significant endowment (though not as significant as before the stock market crash.)
- Timothy Horrigan, Durham, NH

The economy will catch up to them as it has everyone else. People will not be able to continue to afford tuition or the loans that they are forced to pay, for to much longer. The whole education system needs to be overhauled, and that will have to be addressed sooner or later, probably later.
But to blame the union is wrong it's not the union as much as it's the people of the union. Just look at the State Union, it voted to not execpt the offer given to it. I have friends that voted for the offer, because they felt that was better then no job. But the rest felt secure enough in their jobs to say screw the rest of the people and took their chances. The same problems plague our governments, and businesses, it the everyone for themselves syndrome. Just keep your eye on the prize and screw everyone else.
- Towgo, Solon, Maine

NSR in Epping, NH...what are you trying to say?!?! I'm guessing you are one of the faculty that works at UNH?!?!

The economy is sucking wind right now, for all you people who don't get it! It has nothing to do with being proponents of socilism or communism.

Simply put there is no reason for the faculty to be asking for raised right now. At one time Americans suppported Americans, but that is no longer the case. Government workers are support by the citizens of this country, and when "we the people" are hurting financially is it right that government workers (we support through are taxes) should ask for more money?

If UNH was a private college without any funding from tax payers then I say have a field day with asking for raises, but UNH is funded by the state...IE our taxes...I find it insulting that the faculty have the audacity to ask for raises when so many tax payers are hurting financially!

NSR in Epping...your post is an embarrassment and thank god DOESN'T represent 99% of the people in America!
- Mike, Epping

A few of you just do not and never will get it - people are TIRED of getting SCREWED, when they are losing their jobs and not making it, they fully and rightfully expect to cut their expenses, some of which are their employee's, UNH, their town etc... via no raises or layoffs - Just like they face daily. All a part of Capitalism.

Not complaining about what they earn but common sense dictates that when you (NH residents) are in the hole, they cut back as above) not SPEND more! Let me guess, you both aren't driving Bentley's - because YOU CAN'T AFFORD THEM. Same applies here the people of NH DO NOT WANT TO PAY FOR the UNH machine when they can't go out to dinner once in a month!
- LL, Nashua

I graduated nearly 30 years ago from UNH. The full-time student population was about 10,500. Now it is reported to be about 12,000. In those years since very expensive edifices to administration and hackdom have been built to serve an additional 10% at best. We have a $300K plus a year hockey coach who can't seem to win any big games even with NHL quality talent and buildings are springing up everywhere on campus housing hack administrators doing something that certainly wasn't done 30 years ago and even less likely 60 years ago, when a college education actually meant something.

I say, if they don't like the wages they are offered, let them quit, please, let them quit, so they can enter the dreaded private sector (oh, they are not even qualified).
- Dean, Sandown

New Hampshire is dead last in the spending of public money for higher education. New Mexico is number 1, they spend 13% of their state revenue on higher education. California (believe it or not) is in the middle of the pack at 7%. New Hampshire spends 2.7%.

Thomas Jefferson set up the first state university with the idea of every state providing the opportunity for regular people to get a top notch education that they could bring back to the community they were raised in. Its worked beautifully for over 200 years. Unfortunately, the right wing nuts of the world think we need more fighter jets and aircraft carriers.

The faculty at UNH is underpaid. Period. Top kids go to top schools because they have top talent in front of the class. UNH is a jewel that provides a massive benefit to every citizen of the state. Why don't some of you get this?
- Fred, Amherst

Ahh, will we see the UL editorial staff criticizing themselves when THEY get into negotiations next year? I hear what the paper is asking from its own unionized employees is pretty much a hair-curler.
- Steve B, Derry

What a craven, tin-eared bunch of ingrates with unjustly inflated egos inversely proportioned to their self-inflated economic contribution.

The most frightening thing is they actually are teaching our young adults.

Government unions in action again! How many of us would like their gold-plated healthcare coverage and retirement benefits?

What a bunch of abject jerks! It's past time to stop this madness.
- Steven, Swanzey

If your going to use the excuse that the faculty does not deserve a raise because the cost of living index is low, why don't you also publish the amount of the raises that the faculty got when the inflation was much higher. It is only when inflation is low that faculty and other public employees can finally gain some ground. As a public school teacher, I always looked at 1 or 2 % raises when inflation was running over 6%. Every year, our less than generous pay raise was putting us all farther behind. At the same time, many in the private sector, and even those on so called "fixed incomes" were getting increases equal to the cost of living. Everyone seems to target teaching jobs at times like this, but why didn't you chose to do it too? I don't begrudge anyone who makes more than me or gets a better raise, I could have chosen that path and I did not. No one to blame but myself.
- Tim, Litchfield

NSR, university professors cannot be fired; nor can entrepreneurs start new universities on an equal footing with UNH. Government professors are no more "market capitalism" than government physicians will be under Obama's takeover. It is unknowable how much any of them is worth when such questions can only be answered using implied threat of armed force and political pull.
- Spike, Brentwood NH

The whiny, lazy, faculty all need to get fired. I haven't seen a more wanna-be-entitled bunch anywhere I have worked. They don't deserve any raises, but instead a pay cut. The rest of the staff had a mandatory salary freeze that will last probably 2 years at least. Faculty also get the bonus of cheaper benefits than the rest of the staff. To top it off they are whiners and complainers about anything not in their contract or if they feel the least bit slighted by the administration. They got out of taking mandatory sexual-harrassment training that everyone else on staff had to take, since somehow their union filed a grievance with the administration that it wasn't required in their contract. The entire training was online and took less than an hour but that's too much for those slackers.

Tenure indeed is the only thing that keeps many of them employed, and it's a concept that needs to get thrown out. Many of them are dead wood, not bringing new ideas to the table and too 'busy' to try anything new, despite having many grad assistants and other lackeys to do all their real work, and the most over the top support structure of any organization I have seen.

Yet their greed continues unchecked! Ugh!

Good riddance!
- Mark, Durham,NH

I'm not sure what you people get so worked up about. Of course they are going to ask for a lot. I'm sure the first offer they received was low balled. That's how a NEGOTIATION works. I would love to see how you people negotiate the price of a new car.
- Joe, Manchester

Ally, he did fullfill the core requisites..umm thats how he got his associates,at a community college no less. I agree with Ron on this one, he was bumped because he didnt fullfill one of the quotas.
- Steph, Concord

The faculty members have an immediate wage increase of a couple percent sitting on the table. Deunionize and quit paying into an organization that treats everyone as equals regardless of the contribution efforts.

After you give yourself a raise sit down with the school administration and look at the school budget. How efficiently is the school operating across the board? Chances are the school has a lot of "fluff" expenditures which are "nice to have" and not "need to have". Bring the wasted money issues to administration and write an article in the UL. You will teach the students about fiscal responsibility, limited resorces, self responsibility and likely find money that can be applied towards your salary.

Or you can continue to pay into the union and teach the students about shared responsibility and how unhappy you are.
- Michael Layon, Derry

Spike - employees get what they negotiate. That's fair market capitalism.

I don't expect you to understand it.

It's fine if you don't like it - they didn't like it in the Soviet Union either.

If you hate the American system, that's fine with me, I don't care. Move to North Korea and you'll fit right in.

You hate America becuase you didn't win your election.

That makes you un-American.
- NSR, Epping, NH

All this talk doesn't really matter anyways. Higher education is outpricing itself every year. Soon nobody will be able to afford college. This is just delaying the enviable.
- eddie, Nashua

Universities will actually be among those entities hardest hit by this recession. They've catered to students for years now with fancy facilities and expensive extras. And the students' parents have paid for the huge increases in tuition and fees by tapping their home equity. The party is over, folks. While the faculty have largely not been the beneficiaries of the higher ed ponzi scheme, they must accept that their employers are facing a huge change in the business model, and they will suffer right along with the rest of their industry.

As we all know, the various consumer price indexes are totally unrealistic because of what they don't include. So I feel for these faculty members, just as I feel for everyone who's making due with less money these days. But if they wont' accept flat salaries for three years, their better option would be a one-year deal and hope that they can improve their situation next year.
- DavidT, Alton

Let's remember how out-of-touch the professors are the next time they try to foist a study or poll on us.

Tom P., not just tenure, but the marvelous racket of being able to portray any funding cut as your senator being "against higher education," implying, against education occurring anywhere.

NSR, you have life more perfectly backwards than the entire cast of The Munsters. If a productive deal-maker in the finance industry gets a bonus, it's literally a federal case, but if union members in the hackarama want higher "earnings," then we are "socialists" to question it?
- Spike, Brentwood NH

NSR, do you ever read your posts before hitting the submit button? I honestly don't know how your rants get published.

It's sad that you are such an angry person and your name calling is quite immature.
- Ron, Manchester

I love it - the same crazies who are the first to yell "socialism!" "Communism" And use other big other words they don't actually understand are the first to complain about employees trying to get paid a certain wage.

Whether or not the contract will be approved is one thing - but complaining about what somebody earns IS communism and socialism.

So, if you are complaining - like this socialist Union Leader editorial writer - then you think we should operate like the Soviet Union did, where the government chooses your salary, and you sit back and like it.

Do you see that when you complain about salaries, you are actually complaining about capitalism?

Do you understand that makes you a total hypocrite if you then cry "socialism" about health care or whatever?

The Union Leader simply hates anybody earning money who doesn't agree with them. That's because they are a nasty, un-American organization.
- NSR, Epping, NH

What kind of fantasy world is this union living in? Have they not been following the news? If the faculty union is somehow successful in their ridiculous demand for the across the board raises, payouts and merit raises they are asking for, especially in these tough economic times, then we should demand the equivalent amount of layoffs of faculty member needed to offset the sum of those raises and payouts. Apparently this union is unappreciative that the University was not affected by the recent budget cuts and painful sacrifices others had to make? Perhaps some faculty cuts should be made to help keep them grounded and in touch with reality so they better understand the tough economic difficulties the rest of us have to deal with? After all, why should they be insulated or immune to what those who are paying their salaries are going through?
- Rob, Manchester

Again. Coach Umile is the highest paid state employee....go ask him for some cash b/c his hockey team can't beat 9 year olds right now.
- james, manchester

And what would we get in return for their raise? Would UNH faculty teach more sections per semester? Would they increase the number of students in their upper-level seminars? Would they increase their office hours?

UNH is one of the most expensive public universities in the US for in-state students. A faculty raise would be borne by students & their parents who are already stretched and would make UNH even more unreachable than it already is for many NH residents.

UNH faculty are clearly showing their true colors.
- Joe, Weare

Steph, many good students from Nh have been denied so that UNH could fill quotas. Ethnic quotas & out of state quotas specifically.

Carol, these teachers are asking for a raise right now is very poor timing.
- Ron, Manchester

UNH is not a State Agency. It gets only about 15% of its funding through a block grant from the State. So let's take the numbers we this editorial has spit out (and pray this fine rag has actually gotten its facts straight) and multiply it by 0.85 so no one can complain that greedy UNH profs are stealing from the state.
- John, Portsmouth

Steph- those are called pre-requisites, meaning they are required before the student undertakes the university program. He can fulfill the requirement at a local community college and re-apply. Further, the last thing UNH needs to do is become even less selective. We want prospective employers to see UNH graduates as motivated and intelligent.
- Ally, Raymond

When you live, eat, sleep and breathe in an ideological bubble, where every "intellectual" is just another automaton-group-think-robot the insane seems perfectly reasonable.
- Craig, Manchester

Make the professors invested in their jobs. UNH should add incentives to the contract and tie the professors' pay to student recruitment quotas. As the professors generate more tuition money, they get more money.

If incentive pay works in professional sports, it should be a no-brainer in academia.
- David R, Manchester

Sniff Sniff....wait is that coffee? These intellectuals are frankly little more than selfish spoiled brats. If they want to walk let them! There are plenty of unemployed people with graduate degrees out here willing to teach for half as much. These are unreasonable, unrealistic, and unconscious. No raises, no 300k hockey coach, and no BS.
- Tim, Enfield

Of course it makes sense. They reserve to many slots for out of state students who have to pay higher tuitions. That's the business model. UNH is also one of the most expensive state colleges in the country. Most state colleges reserve most of the spots for in state students considering your tax dollars support the program. But not here in good old NH. Live free or die. Yes I know, I'm going to move.
- lc, manchester

More money to teach kids Obamantricks. Great....
- j. kellison, meredith

Fire them all, close the U and sell the property. Problem solved.
- Bob H, Londonderry

Good faculty is a good investment, actually. The payback is enormous. Why are UNH faculty "lucky to have jobs?" We have a University, it has professors. Are you saying we are "lucky" to have a university?
- Carol, Londonderry

Is it any surprise the students at UCLA protested the school. That wasn't just a "hissy fit" every student can see the bloat and largess all around them at the university and connect it to tuition hikes above the rate of inflation.
- Chris, Merrimack

As any non-unionized USNH employee should know by now, benefits are being trimmed, and a cut in vacation days per year is being considered, although I am not sure how that would save money.

USNH is so afraid to eliminate bad faculty. Once tenure is achieved, they are essentially untouchable. This is one of the main reasons why each campus within USNH is having budgetary issues.
- Tom P, Ashland

and yet they turn away good students...makes no sense UNH..you need the money and your profs want their raises, yet they reject prospective students for some rather "shady" reasons.. My fiance was rejected for the bachelor's program based on one math class he hadn't taken yet,why?? Couldnt he have just simply taken it in the first semester he was there? One class, four credits, easily made up, makes no sense to me, does it to anyone else?
- Steph, concord