Akron AAUP Protecting Academic Freedom For a Free Society
The University of Akron Chapter |
American Association of University Professors

Executive Summary/Guide to Healthcare and Wage Proposals

Negotiations can be confusing.  For many reasons, both sides may bundle different elements of the contract into a single proposal.  Commonly, non-economic issues are discussed first.  In these negotiations, discussion of healthcare contributions was moved forward in order to address the issue of the impending open enrollment period.  Healthcare is an economic issue, and it got bundled with other economic issues, and then with non-economic issues.  This is because we are being asked to take concessions on economics, and if that happens (not agreed to), we want language that gives the bargaining unit more job security.  This guide is meant to help you understand what each side has proposed, and in response to what previous proposal.

Healthcare

  • AAUP Health Ins Package Prop 11-6-20. This file describes the concession the Chapter was proposing in exchange for severance and tuition benefits for the RIF.  The admin responded that they do not have interest in, and may not be able to legally pay the RIF (detailed in negotiations update 11/17/20).
  • UA Health Benefits Proposal 11-13-2020. This file was the Administration’s response to our initial healthcare proposal. It includes a provision that spells out what happens if we do not reach an agreement on healthcare before the end of the CBA (12/31/20). Benefits will continue at the current contribution level, but the Administration will reduce wages to collect the savings from the bargaining unit they are seeking through healthcare.

Wages

  • UA Proposals 11-6-20. This is the opening position from the Administration on wages. You will see reference to other articles, including a reference to Article 17 (benefits).  That detailed the same increases in employee-contributions toward benefits proposed in the failed ratification of August 2020.
  • Art 16 Sec 1 and 8 AAUP Prop (11/11/20) to Admin 11/16. This is the Chapter’s response to the Administration’s wage proposal. It includes ‘trigger language’ in Year 1 that responds to the Administration’s concern about future finances due to the pandemic.

After this, the Chapter bundled economic and non-economic proposals.

  • Akron-AAUP Package Proposal to Admin 11-18-20. This details concessions we are willing to take, provided we get all that we propose in Articles 15 and 29 (already posted).
  • UA Proposals 11-23-2020. This is the Administration’s response to our package proposal.  It is essentially the same as their position in August, with the addition of changing the structure of overload and summer pay, and reducing the term of the contract to 1.5 years.

In solidarity-

The Negotiating Team

Administration’s Proposals

Our Proposals

ARTICLE 15 RETRENCHMENT  – 10-28-20 Art. 15 – AAUP Proposal  – 11-2-10
ARTICLE 29 — NTT Faculty – 10-28-20 Art. 29 – AAUP Proposal  – 11-2-20
Rejected chapter’s BoT Communications proposal MOU re BoT Communications Proposal – 10-22-20
Article 17 Health Benefits – 11-13-20 Article 17 Health Benefits – 11-6-20
Admin’s Wage Proposals – 11-6-20 Article 16 Proposals – 11-16-20
Admin’s response to our “Package Proposal”- 11-23-20 Healthcare and Compensation “Package Proposal” – 11-18-20
Admin Proposals — 12-4-2020 Akron AAUP package proposal 11 30 20