Information for Ratification of the Tentative 24-27 Collective Bargaining Agreement
6/12/2025
Dear FSU Member,
Now that FSU and the administration have a tentative contract agreement, a ratification vote is the next step in the process. FSU members can vote “yes” or “no” on whether to ratify the tentative agreement. If 50%+1 of all votes cast are in favor of ratification, the tentative agreement will be approved and will become the operative contract effective immediately. If 50%+1 of all votes cast are opposed to ratification, the parties (FSU and Admin) will have to go back to the bargaining table to negotiate a new tentative agreement, which will in turn have to go through a new ratification vote.
The specifics of the tentative agreement are attached. A summary of the agreement is below.
Some time today you will be sent an email with the subject, “FSU Ratification Vote 2024-2027” via Qualtrics. Please check your Junk or Spam folders if you have not seen it. The ratification vote will be open until 12PM on Tuesday, June 17th.
On a related note: the funding for this contract (if ratified) will need to be approved by the state legislature and signed into law by the Governor before they can be implemented. The FSU/MTA is working to ensure that our contract is included in the next supplemental appropriations bill. The FSU will keep members informed of progress in this area and on when we can expect our raises to be implemented, including retroactive pay for the raise that would be effective January, 2025.
If you have any questions about the tentative agreement please contact the FSU Core Bargaining Team. If you have any questions or concerns on the ratification process please contact the FSU Elections Committee.
From the FSU Elections Committee:
FSU Elections Committee:
Caroline Coscia, Senior Lecturer II, Political Science
Monique Fuguet, Senior Lecturer, Mathematics
Travis Johnston, Assistant Professor, Political Science
Email: FSU.Elections@umb.edu
SUMMARY OF THE 24-27 FSU AGREEMENT
ARTICLE 26 (RAISES, SALARY FLOORS, ETC.)
Raises and Merit- Across-the-board (ATB) raises of 3.5% effective January 2025 (to be retroactively applied); 2.25% July 2025; 2.25% January 2026; 2.25% July 2026; 2.25% January 2027. A total of 12.5% over the three-year term of the contract.
- We rejected Admin’s proposal for merit pay. The rejection of merit pay is not a rejection of additional raises. The state determines the amount of money allocated to raises. Admin proposed dividing that amount between merit and ATB raises. Given the increasingly high cost-of-living in Boston, and the insufficient raise parameters given by Governor Healey’s office, the CBT took the position that the full value of the raises should go to everyone, and any merit proposal should be in addition to the above raises. Admin declined to make available merit funds beyond the ATB raises.
Salary Floors- We got 10-15% increases to salary floors for all ranks effective 9/1/25. These new floors will result in de facto raises for many of our members, especially those who are Lecturers and Assistant Professors.
- Lecturer/Clinical Lecturer= $60,000 (from $53,000); Senior Lecturer/Clinical Senior Lecturer= $70,000 (from $61,000); Senior Lecturer II/Clinical Senior Lecturer II= $73,000 (from $65,000); Senior Lecturer III/Clinical Senior Lecturer III= $76,000 from $69,000
- Assistant Professor= $80,000 (from $70,000); Associate Professor= $88,000 (from $80,000); Professor= $110,000 (from $100,000)
- Librarian I= $62,000 (from $54,000); Librarian II= $67,000 (from $60,500); Librarian III= $76,000 (from $68,500); Librarian IV= $86,000 (from $78,000); Librarian V= $97,000 (from $88,500).
Promotional Raises- Increases to promotional raises to the following ranks effective 9/1/25:
- Senior Lecturer II/Clinical Senior Lecturer II= $7,000 (from $6,500); Senior Lecturer III/Clinical Senior Lecturer III= $7,000 (from $6,500)
- Associate Professor= $11,000 (from $9,400
- Librarian II= $7,000 (from $6,500); Librarian III= $8,500 (from $8,000); Librarian IV= $10,000 (from $9.400); Librarian V= $11,000 (from $10,600).
Associate Lecturer Per Course Rates- $5,800 effective 9/1/25 (from $5,500); $6,000 effective 9/1/26. After it was clear the Administration would not eliminate the category completely (our original proposal), we proposed (over and over again) raising the per course rate to $7000. In the end, the Administration budged very little, keeping our per course rate among the lowest in the region.
Professional Support Funds - RES is eliminated and the money is transferred to the following:
- Increase in travel funds from $1,150 to $1,700 (money is now allowed to pay for professional membership when tied to conference travel). Total pool of travel funds increased from $325,000 to $400,000.
- For NTTs and Librarians, a $100,000 Professional Development Fund is established, which will be distributed in the same way as RES money had been (which had been $37,500).
Anti-Racism Grant Funds – Increased to $50,000 from $45,000 per year.
Financial Support for International Faculty Visas and Visa Related Costs- Agreement for an FSU-Administration committee to bargain over parameters, reimbursements, etc. to codify language.
Salary Anomaly Funds Pool- An increase in the pool from $60K per year to $70K per year.
ARTICLE 36 (SUMMER/WINTER PER COURSE RATE)
Summer/Winter Per Course Rates- $5,800 effective 9/1/25 (from $5,500); $6,000 effective 9/1/26.
ARTICLE 20 (LIBRARIANS)
Librarians- Paid leaves will count as service time for promotion; shortened timeline toward promotion; new language on procedures for campus closures and remote operations; $1,500 for PMYR (latter is in Article 34)
ARTICLE 21 (NTT)
Non-Tenure Track Faculty- Associate Lecturer conversion period to Lecturer to change from 4 consecutive semesters at 50% or more to 3 consecutive semesters at 50% or more; continuing appointment (CA) percentage of time to be automatically equated to actual work history with automatic increase to CA if percentage of time changes; clarification on language for course releases for Senior Lecturer II and III; new PMYR process for full-time Senior Lecturer III (to be done 7 years after promotion; $1,500 available to every member undergoing the process- this language is in new Appendix A for SLIII); SLIIs/IIIs – In the last three-year contract (2020-2023) the Administration agreed to reduce the teaching loads of SLIIs and SLIIIs with a concomitant increase to their service load. The implementation of this provision proved to be complicated by the concentration of significant numbers of Senior Lecturers in a small number of departments, which created issues with respect to the availability of service. To correct this, the new contract states that if service duties are not available in the department then alternative arrangements outside the department or even the university will be allowed and cannot be unreasonably denied.
ARTICLE 8 (ACADEMIC FREEDOM)
Academic Freedom- Modification to language to strengthen protections for members in their exercise of academic freedom in the classroom and in their teaching.
ARTICLE 27 (LEAVES, SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFITS, ETC.)
Parental, Other Leaves - Paid semester of parental leave will now include NTT with continuing appointments at any percentage of time; expanded timing of parental leave; increases in personal days for Librarians and calendar year faculty; enhancement to bereavement leave.
Energy Savings/Partial Campus Closure- Language applicable to calendar year faculty only outlining options for leave time for the two days after the Christmas holiday.
PARKING MOA
Parking- Agreement for a coalition bargaining committee to negotiate parking rates, etc. This committee will be comprised of members of all UMB unions and will negotiate an agreement with Admin to take effect on July 1, 2026. We made our position clear to Admin months ago that we would not entertain a parking proposal at the main table because it violated the ground rules signed by both parties prohibiting new proposals to be made after a certain date. But Admin insisted they needed some agreement on parking to reach agreement on the broader contract. We ultimately agreed to a side table coalition bargaining committee that would negotiate details on parking separate from the main table (the parking memorandum of agreement that was approved in the current contract negotiations does include: a low-cost parking option, MBTA subsidies, and a parking rate adjustment cap to be negotiated later). We worked with our coalition union partners every step of the way to ensure we had their blessing to proceed. The FSU remains committed to working in coalition on matters related to parking.
ARTICLE 15 (WORK CONDITIONS)
Research Intensive Semester (RIS) For Junior Faculty- Option for junior faculty to request release from all service or to request remote-only service.
OTHER ITEMS:
Affirmative Action (Article 3)- Clarifying language regarding the applicability of affirmative action policies to members of protected classes.
Procedures In the Event of Job Abandonment (Article 17)- New language outlining what steps will be taken when a unit member abandons their position
Annual Evaluation of Faculty- AFR (Article 33)- Language ensuring that members will not be harmed vis a vis promotion reviews in the event student evaluations for members under review have not been maintained through no fault of the member.
Flexible Work Schedule (new Memorandum of Agreement)- A committee tasked with reviewing options for flexible work schedules.