Kansas Board of Regents affirms union contract for University of Kansas faculty, academic staff
Blake Benson, chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents, joins colleagues to unanimously approve a three-year contract with faculty and academic staff at the University of Kansas. He is seen here during a 2022 board meeting. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)
TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Regents voted unanimously Monday to approve the initial three-year contract with University of Kansas faculty and academic staff following nearly two years of wrangling.
The collective bargaining agreement, including a 1% across-the-board raise this year and baseline compensation levels for academic ranks and promotions, was developed by United Academics of KU and the central administration during more than 60 negotiation sessions. In early March, the sides reached a tentative deal. It was ratified by 92% of the membership.
The Board of Regents, the governing board for public universities in Kansas, convened for about 15 minutes to review the contract applicable to more than 1,500 personnel on KU’s main campus in Lawrence and a satellite campus in Overland Park. The 80-page memorandum endorsed by UAKU, KU and the Board of Regents has yet to be accepted by the Kansas Department of Administration. If the state agency concurs on the contract, it would be implemented and carry into April 2029.
“I know a lot of time and effort and deliberation have gone into finding an agreement … that’s meaningful to all sides,” said Blake Benson, chairman of the Board of Regents.
KU faculty and academic staff voted in 2024 to form a union. UAKU is linked nationally to the American Federation of Teachers, American Association of University Professors and AFL-CIO.
The contract included sections on union and management rights, academic freedom, governance, program discontinuance, workload, sabbatical, post-tenure review, promotion and grievances. Much of the language mirrored existing university or Board of Regents policy, said John Yeary, general counsel to the Board of Regents.
“The board has seen these types of agreements before, but this is an initial agreement,” Yeary said.
Under the contract, KU would devote $1.5 million to merit raises for faculty and other academic staff in the current year. Only employees receiving a “good” rating — the scale would run from “excellent” to “very good,” “good,” “marginal” and “poor” — would be eligible.
The agreement didn’t commit the administration to across-the-board increases in the second and third years of the contract. Both sides agreed to engage in negotiations regarding subsequent change in faculty compensation.
Minimum KU salaries based on the contract are: distinguished professor, $103,500; professor, $88,500; associate professor, $76,500; assistant professor, $70,000; and lecturer, $52,500 to $64,167. Faculty who didn’t receive a salary bump through adoption of the minimum wage levels would earn a 1% salary increase this year.
Promotions by academic rank would trigger percentage raises subject to a minimum dollar amount. For example, an individual moving to distinguished professor from professor would receive a pay raise of 12% or a minimum of $15,000 per year. The others: associate professor to professor, 12% or at least $12,000; assistant professor to associate professor: 9% or at least $6,500; and lecturer to senior lecturer, 9% raise or at least $4,875.
The KU agreement differed from board policy on post-tenure review. The Board of Regents’ policy says academic performance of faculty and academic staff must be evaluated every five years, but the KU contract called for a seven-year cycle. Subsequently, KU would comply with Board of Regents’ policy by evaluating employees on a five-year cycle.