Retirees Association

DDN: Wright State faculty union ratifies contract after strike

Faculty

Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News

Wright State University’s faculty union has ratified a contract agreement reached earlier this year with the school’s administration.

The Wright State Chapter of the American Association of University Professors gave the contract their final seal of approval Wednesday, according to a post on the group’s Facebook page. A spokesman for the university declined to comment on the ratification.

The agreement came after a 20-day strike by members of the union ended in early February when a tentative deal was reached.

The nearly five-year deal will extend through June 30, 2023, according to the school. As part of the contract, the AAUP-WSU’s 560 or so members will join a university-wide health care plan.

Health care was a sticking point in contract talks with union leaders saying they would be sacrificing their right to bargain over health benefits by agreeing to the terms originally imposed by the board of trustees Jan. 4. The tentative agreement makes it clear that health care will be included in future contract negotiations, AAUP-WSU president Martin Kich has said.

AAUP-WSU members will receive a 2.5 percent raise in 2022 and a 2.5 percent raise in 2023. But, the raises will not necessarily make up for financial concessions accepted by the union in health care and other areas, Kich said.

Under the deal, faculty union members can also be furloughed for one day per semester and workload and layoff language will remain the same.