UUP Meets with State to Start Contract Negotiations

United University Professions, America’s largest higher education union, this week opened negotiations for a new contract with New York state. This is the first time in decades that both sides have agreed to begin contract talks so soon in the process. That prospect has UUP negotiators hopeful that a tentative agreement could be reached before the union’s 2022-2026 contract expires July 1. UUP’s main issues for the new contract are salary and compensation; job security, especially expanding access to permanency; maintaining affordable, accessible health care; and addressing artificial intelligence concerns and protections against federal overreach into grant funding, health care and higher education.

“We appreciate the governor’s willingness to start negotiations now instead of starting them later and risk having our contract expire,” said UUP President Fred Kowal. “Such an early start hasn’t happened in recent memory.”

To excite members about the upcoming negotiations, UUP held a virtual contract kick-off meeting Feb. 3. Eight hundred members joined Kowal, Benjamin and members of UUP’s Negotiations Team in the meeting.

“We want to work hard and get the best possible contract done before our current contract expires,” UUP President Fred Kowal told members at the meeting. “We’re going in absolutely, completely prepared as never before with the stated intention that we’re ready to go.” Read more here.