Since last week, there has been movement in the negotiations. Last week we received a proposal from administration for across-the-board salary increases averaging 4%, 3%, and 2% for years 1, 2, and 3 of the contract. The administration proposed bands for raises according to salaries, so the actual ATB number might be different depending on a person’s salary. They further suggested that healthcare premiums could be raised by 5%, deductibles could triple, co-pays would increase, and they would introduce co-insurance. They had not responded regarding FWA.

This week, the administration proposed a package that would include FWA for academic staff and across-the-board raises of 14% over 3 years (6/4/4) for those earning less than $100k. For those earning $100k–$180k, they proposed increases of 10% over three years (4/3/3). For those earning over $180k, they proposed 6% over three years (2/2/2). About 49% of our members are in the lower salary band, 40% are in the middle band, and 11% are in the upper band. This proposal does not include COLA, changes to raises associated with promotion, or selective salary (a committee would be established to determine a more functional merit process). Regarding healthcare, co-pays would stay as they are; there would not be co-insurance, but deductibles and healthcare premiums would increase. The Bargaining for the Common Good proposal to establish a task force and fund to address student housing insecurity is still under discussion.

Member activism has been effective. This proposal is better than where we were last week, but there is still work to be done.  While we are still working to improve our compensation package, we are encouraged by the administration’s resolve to move forward with negotiations.