Board of Trustees approved new collective bargaining contracts with faculty and staff unions

At the August 22, 2023, meeting of the Cincinnati State Board of Trustees, the Board members unanimously affirmed a new 3-year contract agreement with Cincinnati State AAUP (American Association of University Professors).

AAUP members approved the contract in voting that was completed Aug. 16, 2023. About 80% of eligible bargaining unit members cast votes, with 95% voting in favor of the new agreement.

All full-time faculty members at the College are part of the AAUP bargaining unit.

The agreement includes a 3.25% raise to base salaries for all full-time faculty members, effective Aug. 28, as well as a 3.0% raise effective in Fall Semester 2024, and a 2.75% raise effective in Fall 2025.

Other provisions of the new contract have been shared with the members of the AAUP bargaining unit.

The Board also approved a 3.25% raise for members of SEIU (Service Employees International Union), effective Aug. 28, as part of contract negotiations that were limited to compensation topics only. The members of SEIU, who include professional, technical, and clerical employees of the College, approved the new wage agreement on Aug. 23.

The Board also took action to award a 3.25% raise to members of the other Cincinnati State unions, effective Aug. 28, as a result of “me too” (parity compensation) clauses in their contracts.

In addition, the Board approved a 3.25% salary increase, effective Aug. 28, for all non-bargaining, benefits-eligible employees of the College.

Trustee Chairperson John Silverman thanked the Faculty and Administration Bargaining Teams for “productive” negotiations and described the raises as “well-deserved for Cincinnati State’s great faculty.”

President Monica Posey said that although the negotiation process had some anxieties, “we’re coming together now, and that’s what Cincinnati State is about.”

AAUP Chapter President Abbey Yee (Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology) thanked faculty for their support during the bargaining process and said that completing the negotiations helps to ensure a successful start to the new academic year.

Provost Robbin Hoopes, a co-leader of the Administration Bargaining Team, said, “The AAUP contract is a mature, but living, agreement and both teams examined each article through the lens of our evolving context.”

“For instance, we agreed to recalibrate the way workload is determined for faculty who coordinate College Credit Plus (CCP) activities because this has been an area of growth and increased oversight expectations from the state.”

“Another example is the small but important revisions made to the search and hiring procedures described in the AAUP contract in order to streamline processes and better serve the College’s DEI (diversity/equity/inclusion) goals,” Provost Hoopes said.

Julie McLaughlin, a co-leader of the Faculty Bargaining Team (Professor and Department Chair for First Year Experience), said, “After several years of faculty making sacrifices to help the College through some challenging times, we were happy to be able to reach an agreement that recognizes the importance of our faculty members’ many contributions to the College.”