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To: UNH Community From: J. Bonnie Newman, President Re: Faculty Contract Negotiations Today the UNH administration and the AAUP chapter of UNH announced separately and simultaneously that the two sides have declared impasse in their efforts to agree on a new faculty contract. We regret that the two sides have been unable to complete their negotiations successfully up to this point. We are hopeful that the processes of mediation and fact finding that follow a declaration of impasse will lead to a successful conclusion. A declaration of impasse is a part of the routine process when the two sides cannot come to agreement in labor negotiations. While the AAUP and administration engage in mediation with a neutral third party, and then, if necessary, in fact finding, the University will continue its normal operations at all levels. Our students will continue to benefit from the University’s excellent instructional and research programs, and we expect our critical governance and decision making processes to proceed as usual. The two sides have tentatively agreed on a wide range of issues during negotiations. The remaining items focus on across-the-board annual increases, the amount and process for distribution of merit and equity increases, and the means to contain inflation in the cost of benefits, especially health insurance. The administration has proposed a total salary package of 4.5 percent per year for the next three years. The AAUP has proposed a total salary increase of 6.0 percent per year for the next two years. The administration proposal includes an annual 1.25 percent merit and equity pool, to be distributed jointly by deans and departments. The AAUP proposal includes a .5 percent annual merit and equity pool, to be distributed solely by departments. The administration position is meant to provide sufficient funds to address long-standing merit and equity problems in light of many years of contracts that allowed only across-the-board increases. In addition, the administration has proposed that faculty share in the increasing costs of benefits in a manner that is comparable to the cost-sharing assumed by our non-contract staff. AAUP has rejected any changes in cost sharing. As we work toward a final settlement, our goal will be to assure that UNH faculty receive compensation that reflects their excellence as teachers and scholars. We are proud of the significant gains made in UNH faculty salaries over the past few years. Our salaries now exceed the New England land-grant average and are at par with our fourteen national comparators of top tier research universities. Having achieved this long-held goal, we now will work to assure that our very best faculty receive appropriate merit recognition and that those who have been disadvantaged over the years by salary compression can receive appropriate equity adjustments. Both of us are deeply committed to the principles of fair, competitive,
and affordable salary increases for faculty. As members of the
UNH community over many years, in administrative and faculty
roles, we know very well the excellence of our faculty and of
the institution. We know that our faculty deserve salary and
benefits commensurate with their outstanding work and consistent
with national norms. We assure you we will continue to work toward
these ends. And we thank you for your support in the coming months. |
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