Labor Relations

University of Alaska Continues Contract Negotiations with United Academics

August 23, 2024

The University of Alaska has begun negotiations with United Academics (UNAC) on a new collective bargaining agreement. UNAC represents most faculty and post-doctoral fellows at the UA System, and the current bargaining agreement (CBA) expires at the end of this year.

Negotiations began on August 19, and future negotiation dates have been scheduled, including an in-person negotiation session in Fairbanks on September 16th and 17th.

The Big Picture: The negotiations begin against a backdrop of consistent yet constrained state financial stability. 

  • Rising Fixed Costs: Like other organizations, UA is managing increased operating costs due to inflation and the general macroeconomic environment. The atmosphere in Juneau during the last few legislative sessions has made clear that there is limited appetite for significant increases to UA’s state appropriation. 
  • Striking a Balance: 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 the current CBA. 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.php for updates on the progress of negotiations throughout this semester.

Published August 23, 2024