New Contracts at CSU, Emerson, and Plymouth State

AAUP's union chapter at the Los Angeles campus of Emerson College (ELAF) has reached a tentative agreement on their second contract, and our union chapter at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire has ratified their new contract after eighteen months of negotiations. In California, members of the California Faculty Association (CFA), an AAUP affiliate, voted to approve a tentative contract for members in the California State University (CSU) system. Congratulations to all! 

At Emerson, the chapter made significant gains in their new five-year contract, which is retroactive to September 2021. Here are some of the highlights:

• Salary: Brought the salary grid in line with their peers in Boston, which was one of their main goals for these negotiations. Faculty at level 1 of the scale (more than half of the unit) will see an 11% pay increase. They also maintained an annual cost of living adjustment ranging between 2% and 4%, based on the local cost of living index for Los Angeles.
• Retirement: Starting with Fall of 2022, faculty who have taught 48 or more credits will contribute 1.5% to a pre-tax retirement plan and the College will make a set contribution of 3% of the faculty member's annual teaching pay.
• Health insurance: Eligibility for health insurance lowered from 48 credits to 24 credits for faculty teaching 16 credits a year. They also added a “Plus One” plan that is significantly less expensive than the family plan for faculty using insurance to cover themselves and one other person.
• Length of Appointment: Faculty at levels 4 and 5 will now receive appointments for four consecutive semesters.

At  Plymouth State University, the highlights of the three-year contract include:

• A 1.5% raise this year, 2% raises in the next two years, and two years with bonuses.
• The faculty union will also go on a health insurance benefits plan that the rest of the university system employees are on.
• The contract shores up release time protections and protects the low-enrolled classes necessary to maintain majors. Course overloads are limited to 3-4 credits per semester.
• The new contract improved some contract language in the retrenchment, sabbaticals, and promotion and tenure articles.

At CSU the contract approved by CFA members includes:

• A 4% pay increase retroactive to July 2021;
• A prorated $3,500 COVID-service bonus, covering 29,000 employees across all 23 CSU campuses
• CFA members will receive another raise of up to 4% in July 2022, contingent on the state budget.