Labor Relations

University of Alaska holds first in-person negotiation session with UNAC as bargaining continues

September 20, 2024

Earlier this week, the University of Alaska (UA) held the first in-person negotiation session with United Academics (UNAC) as bargaining continues for a new contract. UA’s current contract with UNAC - which represents most faculty and post-doctoral fellows at the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±appSystem - expires at the end of the calendar year. Both sides remain optimistic about reaching an agreement before then.

Zoom In: Negotiation sessions are taking place via Zoom and in-person meetings, and future sessions are scheduled throughout the rest of the year.

  • The negotiating teams also work and engage in the time between formal sessions to make scheduled sessions as meaningful and productive as possible.

Zoom Out: During last month’s Board of Regents Meeting, Regents received an update on UA’s financial outlook. The discussion underscored that while °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±appremains stable, negotiations with UNAC and the development of the FY26 budget are taking place in an environment of steady yet restrained state support.

  • Increasing Fixed Costs: Like many other employers and organizations, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±appis facing increased fixed costs due to inflation and the overall macroeconomic environment. The recent legislative sessions in Juneau have made clear that enthusiasm for significant increases to UA’s state appropriation is fairly limited. 
  • Balancing Priorities: During the FY25 Legislative Session, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±appwill seek appropriations that are in accordance with agreed-upon monetary terms and fairly compensate other eligible employees.  

What’s Next? °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±appand UNAC are continuing to negotiate, and share a desire to reach a tentative agreement (TA) before the end of the current contract.

  • Doing so leaves plenty of time for a TA’d proposal to work its way through the approval process required by law, including approval by the Board of Regents. 
  • State law also requires the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to review CBA monetary terms before they are submitted to the Legislature, which must occur no later than March 21, 2025.

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: °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±appis committed to reaching a beneficial and balanced contract with UNAC this fall. Visit /hr/labor/labor-relations/unac.php for updates on the progress of negotiations throughout this semester.

Published September 20, 2024