Labor Relations

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 UA System, and the current bargaining agreement expires at the end of this year.

Negotiations are slated to begin on August 19, and UA is continuing to exchange ground rules with UNAC in advance of that first session. As with all of our bargaining units, UA 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: UA’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 UA’s state appropriation. 
  • UA will seek appropriations during the FY25 Legislative Session that comply with agreed-upon monetary terms and fairly compensate other eligible employees.  

The Timing: Both UA 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. UA’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 – UA’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: UA is committed to reaching a beneficial and balanced contract with UNAC this fall. Visit https://www.alaska.edu/hr/labor/labor-relations/unac for updates on the progress of negotiations throughout this semester.

Published August 9, 2024