State Gives 13% Salary Raise to UUP Members

By REUVEN BLAU

The Spitzer administration Dec. 19 announced a tentative contract agreement with the United University Professions that would provide 13 percent in raises over four years and a one-time $500 salary advance to Professors who receive permanent appointment.

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The proposed agreement, which would run from July 2, 2007 to July 1, 2011, is similar to the financial terms negotiated by the Civil Service Employees Association in late October.

Covers SUNY Professors

The contract must be ratified by the UUP's 34,000 academic and professional faculty at 29 State University of New York campuses.

Upon ratification, most UUP members would receive a 3-percent raise retroactive to July 1, 2007. The deal also includes two more 3-percent hikes effective July 1, 2008 and July 1, 2009 and a 4-percent raise on July 1, 2010. A small group of UUP members would have their raises kick in on Sept. 1 each year.

UUP Acting President and Chief Negotiator Frederick G. Floss hailed the terms of the proposed contract. "The agreement provides competitive salaries and strong benefits that will attract and retain top-quality faculty," he said in a statement.

The tentative agreement also includes a one-time $500 salary advance to employees who receive permanent or continuing appointments, or a second, five-year appointment at their current campuses during each year of the contract.

Bonus for Part-Timers

Under the proposed contract, part-time employees who have worked at least eight consecutive years at their current campus would also receive a $500 lump-sum payment.

Location stipends would also increase to $3,026 for employees working in the downstate area and up to $1,513 for Professors in the Mid-Hudson region. In addition, the tentative contract includes discretionary salary increases of 1 percent in each year, and a $250 state contribution per employee by the end of the deal to the UUP Benefit Trust Fund, which covers dental and eye benefits.

Pending ratification, the agreement also would create a statewide availability of a pre-tax transportation program that is designed to reduce employee commuting costs and promote a cleaner environment. The proposed contract also would continue support for the Employee Benefit Fund, Meal Allowances, and Labor Management Committees.

Based on the agreement, the basic medical deductibles and co-pays for emergency room visits and hospital outpatient surgeries and other medical costs would be slightly increased, the UUP said. The union stressed that there would be no percentage increase in employees' share of the cost of health insurance premiums.