Non-tenure faculty votes to accept tentative agreement

Alicia Balog

The full–time non-tenure track faculty unit of Kent State University’s American Association of University Professors voted to accept the tentative agreement as the unit’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Before it becomes the union’s official collective bargaining agreement, the Board of Trustees will vote whether to ratify the tentative agreement at its meeting March 13.

If the Board of Trustees ratifies the tentative agreement, it will serve as the FTNTT’s contract through the 2015-2016 academic year.

According to the tentative agreement aaupksu.org

and to Kent State website’s www.kent.edu

, faculty will receive

• Retroactive payment of a two and one-half percent salary increase for academic year 2012 – 2013

• Retroactive payment of promotion increases for academic year 2012 – 2013

• A longevity payment of $125 for each year of service (up to 16 years)

• Two and one-forth percent across-the-board increase for academic year 2013 – 2014

• Two percent salary increase for academic year 2014 – 2015 from the 2013-2014 salary

• Two percent salary increase for academic year 2015 – 2016 from the 2014-2015 salary

• Acceptance of the medical benefits provided to other university employees

Union members accepted both the tentative agreement and a memorandum of understanding, which covers faculty issues for the rest of 2012-2013 academic year,

, according to a March 5 email from Tracy Laux, president of the FTNTT unit.

The university and unit’s bargaining teams reached the tentative agreement through negotiations that began July 12, 2012, according to the Kent State website www.kent.edu

.

The FTNTT Executive Committee then approved the tentative agreement February 15 and sent it to members for the vote, according to an email from Laux February 20.

Laux did not return a phone call to comment on the union’s acceptance of the tentative agreement on March 5.

Contact Alicia Balog at [email protected] .