Bargaining Update: Contract Extended to July 14

The WAU contract, which had been set to expire on June 30, has been extended to July 14. Over the last two weeks of bargaining there was movement in a positive direction, but the most recent proposals from administration leave much room for improvement. Last week's proposal is summarized here. The WAU bargaining team rejected that proposal and responded with a counter. The administration sent a new counter which still includes increasing deductibles by up to $1000 for families, which is unacceptable, and very little movement on across-the-boards. There is no COLA, no merit pay, no increases to promotion amounts, and no equity pool. Flexible work arrangements for academic staff are a part of this package. Funds for an emergency fund for students facing housing insecurity are still under discussion. The childcare subsidy pool remains unchanged. 

On Wednesday, the Board of Governors passed a budget that included an average of 3% across-the-board increases for WAU faculty and academic staff. The latest offers from the administration are slightly higher, but not by much. We need to see greater movement overall before we can reach agreement.