This month, United Academics kicks off its celebration of ten years of being union strong! While we’re excited to celebrate the tenth anniversary of our first Collective Bargaining Agreement’s ratification in October 2023, we know there is still work to be done.
In the last Collective Bargaining Agreement, we secured 10% raises over the three years of the contract. This included the first year’s across-the-board raise of 5%, a 2% across-the-board raise the following year, and a 3% merit pool to be distributed in January 2024. The ratification vote on our salary package passed with 95% of the vote in favor of the package.
We also established upward movement on salary floors, maintained post-tenure review raises (4% meets/8% exceeds) for Tenured Faculty, and established equivalent raises for Career Faculty once they’ve hit their highest rank. You can find additional information on the Continuous Employment Raises here in UA’s newsletter, the Duck & Cover.
As a reminder, the amounts in the CBA are minimum amounts, not the maximum amount allowed. While UA advocates strongly for equity and transparency in pay, nothing in the CBA prevents units or supervisors from raising individual faculty salaries beyond the required minimums.
We have secured more than 33% in raises over the course of our Agreements and remain committed to bringing our salaries up to a more competitive and sustainable level. This work is of vital importance given the drastic rise in the cost of living in our community and the infrequency and inconsistency of pay increases before unionizing. We continue to work on issues around equity and inflation through workgroups with the administration and our political advocacy with the Bureau of Labor & Industries regarding the Oregon Equal Pay Act.
To continue this forward momentum, we need member support. Members are the union. You are the union. Faculty voices and support will demonstrate to the administration that, even with our past successes, salaries remain a top priority for us–for you!--in bargaining. As we look ahead toward bargaining next year, please take a moment to complete a brief survey before it closes on May 5 if you haven’t already; it will help set our bargaining priorities and strengthen our position at the bargaining table.