Kansas Board of Regents Approves KU and UAKU Wage Adjustment Agreement for Covered Faculty and Academic Staff

The University of Kansas and the United Academics of KU, AAUP, AFT have completed negotiations for FY 25 wage increases for covered faculty and academic staff on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses. The negotiations, which secure a 2% partial cost-of-living wage increase and ensure promotion wages, were approved by the Kansas Board of Regents, as required by law. This pay increase will be effective with the Aug.18, 2024, pay period and will be applied to all bargaining unit members who are in active status, as of June 30, 2024, including those who are on leave and lecturers from the 2023-24 academic year who were rehired  for 2024-25.

As part of this initial bargaining agreement, UAKU and the university also agreed to wage adjustments for employees identified for promotion and/or tenure through the UCPT process. These promotion wage adjustments will become effective with the fall 2024 academic year appointments:

• Assistant to associate rank: $6,500 minimum increase or 9% annualized rate, whichever is greater.
• Associate to full rank: $12,000 minimum increase or 12% annualized rate, whichever is greater.

The 2% cost of living adjustment will be applied after promotion and tenure increase adjustments are made.

These wage and promotion adjustments are viewed by both parties as interim actions in the collective bargaining process. Both parties agree that changes may be negotiated for this or future academic years through the collective bargaining process. KU administration will also be able to make employee specific wage adjustments to manage the risk of turnover, ensure promotion raises for employees outside of the UCPT process and to allow competitive retention offers.

The full agreement will be available online soon.

Representatives from UAKU offered the following statement.

UAKU is committed to advocating for fair and competitive wages for our faculty and academic staff. This agreement represents meaningful progress in our ongoing efforts to secure equitable compensation for our bargaining unit members. We appreciate the collaborative efforts with KU administration to reach this agreement, which marks a step forward in recognizing and rewarding the essential contributions of our faculty and academic staff to the university's mission and success. UAKU remains dedicated to advancing the values of our membership toward achieving a comprehensive contract agreement.

University leadership also views this agreement as progress toward shared goals.

“Thank you to the UAKU representatives for being both steadfast in their support of faculty and academic staff and responsive in their conversations with the KU administration team,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Barbara A. Bichelmeyer. “We share the goal of ensuring compensation for our faculty and academic staff remains competitive within the market for the important innovation and education they provide for our students and state. That is how we remain one of America’s leading research institutions – something that benefits each one of us personally and professionally.”

Negotiations on the full collective bargaining agreement will begin later this month.