UConn-AAUP Update – March 30, 2026

UConn-AAUP Update March 30, 2025
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In this update:

• Negotiations Team Message
• Tentative Contract Information
• IMPORTANT VOTES HAPPENING THIS WEEK!!!
• SB 5548 FOAI Concerning Employee Residential Addresses and Certain Higher Education Records
• 2026 CT Gubernatorial Primary Questionnaire Results
• Child Care Reimbursement Notice

 

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to present this tentative agreement (TA) to you for your consideration.  The TA contains many and significant improvements for members of our bargaining unit.  Although we did not manage to secure every improvement we sought at the table, the gains (including paid parental leave; longer contracts for CIRE faculty, Academic Assistants and Facilities Scientists; and stronger protections for academic freedom and for non-US citizens) are substantial, and there are no real losses or give-backs anywhere. The raises, averaging 4.5% per year, were negotiated at the state level with our partners in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC).  We encourage you to read the overview and other documents, ask questions, and (we hope) vote “yes” to ratify.

The tentative agreement represents hundreds of hours of negotiations (beginning January 9, 2025 and concluding in the wee hours of March 24, 2026), plus hundreds more behind the scenes. Throughout the process, we benefited from timely advice and crucial guidance from members, too many to name, who generously volunteered their time and expertise.  And of course we received indispensable support from UConn-AAUP’s dedicated, incomparable professional staff, all of whom went above and beyond the call to get this done. Our deepest appreciation goes to everyone who contributed to the successful outcome.

The negotiations team will be available for a follow-up & question and answers time at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 1st.  If you are interested in attending, please let us know: REGISTRATION

In solidarity,

Jean McCarthy (Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences)

Mary Gallucci (English)

Tom Bontly (Philosophy)

Tentative Contract Information & Updates

The Chapter has prepared materials that include information on the ratification process, the full tentative agreement and highlight documents.  Collective Bargaining Agreement – UConn AAUP

Note: that the ratification next steps and the highlights documents were updated this morning.

Article 14 and Article 30 are intentionally blank as the parties agreed that they are going to arbitration. When the arbitrator issues a decision on these two articles then that contract language will be incorporated into the CBA.

IMPORTANT VOTES HAPPENING THIS WEEK!!!

The UConn-AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement Ratification continues through April 2, 2026 at 5:00pm. Active members should have received an email with their voting information from Survey and Ballot Systems. If you have already voted, THANK YOU!!! If you have not had a chance to vote, you can find a copy of the tentative agreement here, including important information on the ratification process and highlights of the contract.

Contact Jcurtisgray@uconnaaup.org if you have not received your email with ballot information.

 

THIS WEEK ALSO BEGINS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTION

UConn-AAUP Executive Committee Election & Slate

2026-2027 UCONN-AAUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CANDIDATE SLATE

 

The UConn-AAUP 2026 Executive Committee election will begin this Wednesday, April 1, 2026, and end on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.  UConn-AAUP has partnered with Survey and Ballot Systems (SBS) to administer the electronic 2026 election.   

Active members will receive an election specific broadcast email on April 1st from Election Coordinator (noreply@directvote.net) with voting instructions, login information, and your personalized pass code.  Please note that this email notification will be sent to your UConn.edu address.

To assure your election specific broadcast email arrives safely in your inbox, simply add the following email address as an approved sender:  noreply@directvote.net. 

If you do not receive this email notification by April 3, 2026, please contact support@directvote.net or Jen Curtis-Gray at jcurtisgray@uconnaaup.org

 

SB 5548 An Act Concerning Revisions to the Freedom of Information Act Concerning Employee Residential Addresses and Certain Higher Education Records  

UConn-AAUP supports open records laws that encourage government transparency and that allow for the public to access copies of administrative records. When those open records requests are abused and used as a weapon to harass and interfere with faculty research, teaching, and scholarship, or used to threaten or chill faculty from there right to academic freedom and unfettered reporting of research, UConn-AAUP must rely on open records laws to protect faculty. UConn-AAUP has submitted legislation to change the open records laws to protect faculty from this abuse and harassment.

If you have experienced this abuse or harassment by supplying information relative to your syllabus, course materials, or other materials, please consider testifying at the next legislative hearing, If you are unable to testify in person or remotely, written testimony is important as well.

The Bill has received Joint Favorability out of the Government Administration and Elections (GAE) Committee and has been sent the Legislative Commissioners’ Office. Hearings will be scheduled soon – please contact UConn-AAUP if you can assist in getting this important legislation across the finish line.

2026 CT Gubernatorial Primary Questionnaire

The 2026 election cycle promises to be pivotal for the future of higher education and labor in Connecticut. The governor of CT plays a significant role in the governance of UConn, including appointment of the Board of Trustees (who write the university bylaws and select the UConn administration) and control of state-level funding for higher education.  To support our members, UConn-AAUP and GEU collaborated to create and distribute a questionnaire to CT governor major party primary candidates. This report includes responses from candidates received to date.

Check out the candidate responses as of March 27^th. Interested in staying engaged in political work through UConn-AAUP? Connect with us & let us know!

Child Care Reimbursement Notice

The Spring 2026 Childcare Reimbursement Application period will open this Thursday, April 2, 2026. The policy and application can be found on the UConn-AAUP Website.

Please note the allotted $95,000 for this reimbursement period is covered under the Extension Agreement, until the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is ratified.

Applications must be submitted to the UConn-AAUP office by MAY 7, 2026.

Please note that the Spring 2026 reimbursement is for daycare provided for the months of November, December 2025 & January, February, March & April, 2026 ONLY.  Child must attend daycare at least two weeks during the month to qualify for that month.