Kent State’s faculty is one step away from uniformly having domestic partner benefits as part of their contract provisions.

According to a memo from Kent State’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors to its members Aug. 18, tenured and tenure-track faculty members voted to pass a tentative contract agreement. With 64 percent of eligible members voting, the agreement passed 373 to 19.

The union and the Kent State administration reached the agreement Aug. 1.

The Board of Trustees will meet at 2 p.m. Wednesday to vote on the contract agreement.

Cheryl Casper, chief negotiator for the union, said she was glad to see the faculty support for the agreement.

“It was overwhelmingly in support of the agreement,” she said. “I think the faculty recognized that it was a fair and good contract.”

The agreement includes domestic partner benefits and improvements to health care benefits, as well as a 13.5 percent salary increase over the next three years.

Mark Weber, chief negotiator for the administration, also agreed with the faculty’s reaction.

“I am pleased that it was approved by a relatively wide margin,” he said, adding that he hoped the Board of Trustees would approve the agreement.

Non-tenure track faculty members accepted a one-year contract extension from the university in the spring, which included a 3 percent salary raise, no increase in medical costs and domestic partner benefits.

The Board of Trustees approved the agreement between the administration and non-tenure faculty members in June.

Contact academic affairs reporter Maria Nann at [email protected].