Labor Relations

UA continues contract negotiations with UNAC, 2 more articles TA’d

November 15, 2024

This week, UA and United Academics (UNAC) TA’d two more articles as negotiations on a new contract continue.

Zoom Out: Negotiations are taking place in an environment of limited state spending even as fixed costs - healthcare, compensation, utilities, and cybersecurity, to name a few - continue to rise. The FY26 budget proposal approved last week by the Board of Regents reflects our need to restrain our budgetary requests to the state.

By the Numbers: 

  • UA’s current request for state support for negotiated compensation increases is about $24 million (UNAC and United Adjunct increases will be requested when new CBAs are completely TA’d). 
  • Each 1% additional increase in compensation costs roughly $4.4 million.

Striking a Balance. Since there will be limited appetite for significant increases to UA’s state appropriation in Juneau next year, Regents and UA leaders will continue to balance student affordability and strategic investment with constrained state support. 

  • Planning for Juneau: UA will seek state appropriations consistent with agreed-upon monetary terms in active CBAs, and fairly compensate other eligible employees.

What’s Next? Negotiations will continue. Both UA and UNAC hope to reach an agreement by the end of the year.

  • Even if a contract isn’t reached by the end of the year, UA and UNAC have agreed to maintain the current agreement and keep negotiating.
  • By law, monetary terms (i.e., compensation increases) must be submitted to the legislature by March 21, 2025, to be considered in the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2025. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) also must review those terms before they are submitted to the legislature.

Notable Dates:

  • 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: Visit https://www.alaska.edu/hr/labor/labor-relations/unac.php for updates on the progress of negotiations throughout this semester.