Members of the Eastern Michigan University chapter of the American Association of University Professors (EMU-AAUP) voted overwhelmingly on Sept.23 to ratify a new four-year contract.
The vote began via secure email on Sept. 20 and ended on Sept. 23 with 96% of members voting in favor of the new agreement.
“Our negotiating team listened closely to our members throughout this process,” said Matt Kirkpatrick, associate professor of English language and literature and chair of the EMU-AAUP negotiating team. “Our goal was to bring back an agreement to address concerns we heard about supporting our students, fair compensation and creating a foundation for continued quality education at EMU."
The new four-year agreement will cover more than 500 tenure and tenure track faculty. The new deal includes a pay raise of $4,000 I'm base pay or 4% in the first year of the agreement, which ever is greater. As well as 3.25% base pay increase in the second and third years of the agreement.
"Contract negotiations of this nature are complex and challenging," Melissa Thrasher Director of Media Relations said in a statement. "The administration is pleased with the terms of the tentative agreement and greatly supports the University's outstanding faculty and their work in the classroom to support our students."
The new contract also states that EMU faculty will receive the same Healthcare options as administrators and other groups on campus.
"It was really impressive to see our members stick together, and all the tremendous support we received from students and the campus community,” said Mohamed El-Sayed, professor of engineering and president of EMU-AAUP. “Our focus now is working together with our students and the administration, so that everyone has access to the great education they deserve here at EMU."
The next step in the process is for the Board of Regents to review and vote on the agreement before its finished. The date for that review has not yet been determined but is expected to happen in the near future.
