University of Alaska, United Academics to begin contract negotiations this Fall
August 9, 2024
The University of Alaska will begin negotiations with United Academics (UNAC) on a new contract this fall. UNAC represents most of the faculty at the ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å System, and the current bargaining agreement expires at the end of this year.
Negotiations are slated to begin on August 19, and ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å is continuing to exchange ground rules with UNAC in advance of that first session. As with all of our bargaining units, ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å is committed to negotiating in good faith to secure a contract with UNAC within the constraints of our fiscal resources.
Zoom Out: The negotiations begin against a backdrop of consistent yet constrained state financial stability.
- One Big Thing: ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å’s fixed costs are continuing to rise, and past legislative sessions have made clear that there is limited appetite in Juneau for significant increases to ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å’s state appropriation.
- ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å will seek appropriations during the FY25 Legislative Session that comply with agreed-upon monetary terms and fairly compensate other eligible employees.
The Timing: Both ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å and UNAC desire to reach a tentative agreement before the end of calendar year 2024. State law requires that monetary terms be submitted to the Legislature by March 21, 2025. ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å’s requests must be approved by the Board of Regents, and then reviewed by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before they go to legislators.
Notable Dates:
- October 31, 2024 – ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å’s FY26 budget requests due to OMB
- November 7-8, 2024 – Regular Full Board of Regents Meeting; FY26 budget request approval
- December 15, 2024 – Deadline for Governor’s FY26 budget to be released and transmitted to Legislative Finance
- December 31, 2024 – Current UNAC CBA expires
- January 21, 2025 – Legislative session begins
- March 21, 2025 – Bargaining unit monetary terms due to the Legislature
The Bottom Line: ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å is committed to reaching a beneficial and balanced contract with UNAC this fall. Visit /hr/labor/labor-relations/unac for updates on the progress of negotiations throughout this semester.
Published August 9, 2024