AAUP-Utica Tentative Agreement Is Ratified!

The September 5, 2023 Tentative Agreement was ratified by the AAUP-Utica Membership on Wednesday, September 27, and by the Utica University Board of Trustees on Thursday, September 28! 🎉

AAUP-Utica bargaining unit members are again working with a contract, effective immediately!

85% of the AAUP-Utica membership (85% of voting members) voted on the contract ratification, and 99% voted YES to ratifying the tentative agreement. 

This is a huge win, and it is the result of a lot of hard work by the AAUP-Utica negotiation team, the entire AAUP-Utica leadership, and everyone who participated in the AAUP-Utica’s collective actions and mobilization efforts last year in the fight for a fair contract. All of those actions helped give the AAUP-Utica strength at the bargaining table.

Read about this momentous win in the Daily Sentinel “Contract agreement a ‘win’ for both sides at Utica University.”

Tentative Agreement Reached!

After many many months of negotiating, and working 218 days without a contract, we finally have a Tentative Agreement! 🎉

The economic proposal includes: 

❗️Yearly raises and lump sum payments for this year and the next three years.

❗️A new minimum salary framework to help our most underpaid members. 

❗️In Academic Years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, additional reimbursement pay added to base salary for any member whose salary was reduced in 2020-2021 under the July 2020 MOA. 

❗️Yearly increases to promotional raises, professional development raises (PDC), overload pay, and faculty research funds (FRC). 

❗️Stronger language to protect jobs in the case of retrenchment. 

❗️Clear language codifying bargaining unit faculty members as 9-month employees, and specifying that faculty duties are only required during the 9-month Academic Year. 

❗️No cuts to healthcare and no cuts to retirement. 

This Tentative Agreement is now being brought to the membership for a ratification vote per the AAUP-Utica Bylaws. Two informational meetings will be held in order to discuss the Tentative Agreement and address any questions or concerns. Details of how to join the informational meetings via Webex will be emailed out to dues-paying/voting members shortly. 

This agreement is the result of the hard work of our negotiating team, governing board, grievances officers, and everyone in the union leadership. It is also a result of the membership uniting as one and standing up to the administration last year. 

Your voices were heard, your buttons, stickers, shirts and posters were seen, your stories were shared, your strength and passion were noticed, and all of these factors together gave us strength at the bargaining table!

Huge thanks also to many members of US-AAUP who helped with strategy, weekly meetings, grants, workshops, and so much more!