Kent State’s Board of Trustees ratified the new collective bargaining agreement for full-time tenure track faculty on Wednesday. The ratification came after a special board meeting was called following a third-party fact-finder’s report.

Negotiations for the contract began in late May 2015 but reached an impasse in September over salary and medical benefit disagreements. Kent State’s American Association of University Professors (AAUP-KSU) tenured and tenure-track professors bargaining unit unanimously approved the fact-finder’s report on Friday. Kent State’s board officially approved the agreement Wednesday. 

“The Kent State administration is truly committed to moving forward and moving forward in good faith,” President Beverly Warren said. “We’re looking forward to shaping a positive future for Kent State and that includes the very, very key role that faculty play in that process.”

If officially approved by AAUP-KSU members, the agreement will extend until Aug. 18, 2018.

The tentative agreement still needs to be approved by the members of AAUP-KSU’s tenured and tenure-track faculty. The members began voting on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and will continue until 11:59 p.m. Friday. The voting will be done electronically.

AAUP-KSU held a meeting on Wednesday to present the tentative agreement details to the members. The agreement’s maximum three-year shelf life is permissible under State Employment Relations Board regulations.

“This is a formal presentation,” said AAUP-KSU’s spokesperson William Sledzik. “(The agreement) has already been sent out by email.” 

For more information contact Karl Schneider at [email protected].