97.5% Approval
State Faculty Give New Contract an A

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

Members of the United University Professions have resoundingly approved a new contract by a vote of 10,297 to 249.

PHILLIP H. SMITH: A rousing amen.

The deal runs from July 2, 2007 to July 1, 2011 and will give the 34,000 academic and professional faculty at the State University of New York a 13-percent raise over four years.

'Addresses Their Needs'

"Our goal was to reach a fair and equitable contract for all our members - academic and professional, full-time and part-time," UUP President Phillip H. Smith said in a statement. "The overwhelming vote in favor of the agreement is a clear sign our members agree that this is a good contract that addresses their needs."

The contract grants a 3-percent raise retroactive to July 1, 2007, another 3 percent in each of the following two years and 4 percent in the final year.

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

Part-time employees who have worked for at least eight consecutive years on their current campus will receive a lump-sum $500 payment.

Location stipends will rise to up to $3,026 for employees in the downstate area and up to $1,513 for employees in the Mid-Hudson region.

Members will also be eligible for discretionary wage increases of 1 percent each year.

The state will make a $250 contribution per member by the end of the contract to the UUP Benefit Trust Fund, which covers dental and vision benefits.

There will be no increase in members' health insurance premiums, but they will have slightly higher co-pays.

The American Arbitration Association verified the 97.5-percent approval vote on March 12.