September 23 Update
Report From The Table Team: September 23 Negotiations
Today was a very important day at the bargaining table for UAOU. We passed two of our most important counters back to the Administration today finalizing our package of proposals: (1) Appointments, Renewals, and Notice and (2) Compensation and Faculty Retentation.
Faculty have been clear for years: better pay and multi-year contracts for Instructional Faculty are urgent priorities. They are among the primary reasons we formed a union, and we need to win them in our first contract.
We put these proposals on the table in September and October 2025. The administration waited until late August 2026 to respond. That delay cost us nearly a year of bargaining over the pay and job security faculty urgently need.
Beginning with the Appointments, Renewals, and Notice and Compensation counter, our initial and now subsequent counter proposals set clearer, more consistent standards for faculty appointments and annual renewals across the university. It also strengthens renewal protections, especially for Instructional Faculty. Faculty need to know what to expect from year to year and have a fair process when their jobs are on the line.
Second, we presented our Compensation and Faculty Retention counterproposal. We moved toward the administration’s proposed structure while holding firm on meaningful across-the-board raises that would bring OU faculty salaries more in line with those at other universities across Ohio. Our counter includes a one-time $3,500 ratification and delay-recognition payment, followed by percentage increases in July 2026 (8%) July 2027 (5%), and July 2028 (4%). It would also formalize promotion raises by putting them in the contract and accept the administration’s language on outside offers.
After we presented these two proposals, the administration's team took a two-hour caucus to review them alongside the proposals we submitted on September 16. During the caucus, some of the UAOU team met with some of their team during a sidebar to discuss the details of some of the proposals.
When the administration team returned, they were ready to provide counters to provisions on outside offers and promotion-related raises that were part of our Compensation and Faculty Retention proposal. The administration separated these provisions in a new Bona Fide Offers and Additional Salary proposal. They also returned with a counterproposal on Parking. After reviewing both proposals, our team reached tentative agreements on those two articles. With those issues settled, the remaining Compensation and Faculty Retention package is focused on the core terms of compensation for all faculty and better job security for instructional faculty.
OU faculty members again joined us during the caucus to discuss the proposals on the table and our next steps. Your presence matters: when faculty show up, the administration sees that members are paying attention and ready to stand together for a fair contract. Continued participation from members, at bargaining, in conversations with colleagues, and at public actions, will be essential to winning a strong first contract.
We are making significant progress on the contract, and we will continue to advocate for strong faculty pay, benefits, job security, and working conditions. It is crucial to our table team’s success that every faculty member knows what’s at stake and is ready to act in support of a strong contract. Read our proposals and the administration’s counters, see what we’ve won so far, and talk with your colleagues. Then join with students, alumni, and community supporters to build the pressure needed to win the strong first contract OU faculty and students deserve.
If you have any questions or comments, reach out at unitedacademicsofou@gmail.com.
Our next scheduled negotiating date is Wednesday, October 7 (1pm – 5pm) at Baker Center.
For more specific information regarding the proposals and tentative agreements, please see the proposal tracker at https://www.uaou.org/bargaining-tracker
