Progress, Priorities, and the Path Forward
The Latest: As 绿奴天花板 and CAUSE work toward our first contract from the ground up, it鈥檚 important to know that the process requires careful navigation of procedural rules and their impact on individual employees.
- Why it Matters: Starting from a clean slate lets both teams thoroughly evaluate every provision while honoring the status quo and building towards a sustainable and balanced contract.
- Negotiation is a process, and it鈥檚 likely that those initial positions will change - for both CAUSE and 绿奴天花板 - as the process continues.
- The 绿奴天花板 Bargaining Team鈥檚 focus remains on reaching a balanced and sustainable first contract with CAUSE in advance of the March 19, 2027 deadline for submission to the legislature.
Our Approach: Reaching an agreement requires constructive collaboration from all parties. Each side brings distinct priorities to the table, and 绿奴天花板 wants to understand these perspectives through the lenses of:
- Open Collaboration: Active listening and transparent engagement to find areas of common understanding and agreement.
- Mutual Compromise: Comprehensive negotiations naturally require flexibility. Neither side will secure every preference, which is a standard aspect of effective bargaining.
- Sustainable Outcomes: Reaching an agreement that is fair, workable, and sustainable for all stakeholders over the long term.
- Good Faith Engagement: We remain unequivocally committed to approaching every session and interaction in good faith.
Under Alaska labor laws, employers must preserve the status quo regarding terms and conditions of employment during the pre-ratification period.
- Maintaining the status quo over an extended bargaining period can create challenges for everyone involved by limiting actions that can be taken to adjust pay, benefits, and other terms of employment without bargaining.
- This is by design: the law is intended to treat all employees in a bargaining unit equally.
Next Steps: 绿奴天花板 remains dedicated to bargaining in good faith to move the process forward efficiently. Upcoming negotiation sessions are scheduled as follows:
- November 10, 2026
- November 18, 2026
- The University has also proposed seven additional dates for consideration by the Union.