On Monday, Feb. 24, the Faculty Alliance of Miami University (FAM) and university administration reached a tentative agreement on its first union contract, following more than a year of negotiations.
The agreement addresses key concerns, such as salary increases, job security and academic freedom, according to a FAM press release. Additionally, the agreement introduced new mechanisms to resolve workplace disputes and provide greater workplace stability for faculty.
The agreement includes an annual wage increase of 9.27%, as was compounded over the course of the contract period, from 2023-2026.
Seth Baugess, senior director of communications for Miami, said the next step is for the Board of Trustees to vote on ratification.
“The university appreciates the diligence and hard work of all bargaining team members on behalf of the Miami community,” Baugess wrote in a statement.
The agreement is one of the first labor agreements in higher education to make artificial intelligence a bargaining tool.
“We fought really hard,” said FAM communications chair Theresa Kulbaga. “We got the university to move higher on compensation than they wanted to go, and we secured a number of other wins, as well.”
Kulbaga said that in addition to compensation, the contract is important for academic freedom, as well.
“It might not seem like much, but with the way the university could change things, we didn’t have a whole lot of power,” Kulbaga said. “That in and of itself is a huge win.”
Cathy Wagner, a professor of English and contract action team lead, said that while the work isn’t finished, she is incredibly proud of the bargaining team.
“It was our collective power that did it,” Wagner said. “ I think admin realized that the pressure was not going to let up. I’m proud of our faculty and librarians that got this done.”
Negotiations for the librarian’s bargaining finished Feb. 25 with Miami librarians agreeing to a tentative contract.
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“When I saw the notification [that an agreement had been reached], I just started crying,” Wagner said. “I couldn’t believe this had actually happened.”
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