Bargaining parties say they’re hopeful, though the outcome will depend on funding in the next state budget.
The University of Alaska system and the union representing nearly 1,100 faculty members and postdoctoral fellows are headed into federal mediation in January.
Bargaining began in August, and so far the parties have tentatively agreed to 17 of 22 contract provisions. The terms must be submitted to the Legislature no later than March 21, 2025, to be considered for the next state budget.Union President Jill Dumesnil pointed to high costs of living, particularly in Southeast Alaska.
Dumesnil said university faculty have been hit hard by inflation, and argue that without any raise in wages it’s like a pay cut. “ have lost between 12.5 and 14.5% of their purchasing power since 2018 because we either received no raises, or raises that were significantly below theby the Council for Community and Economic Research compared the costs for a fixed standard of living across 276 U.S. cities, and showed that Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage ranked 18th, 21st and 24th.
“While the benefits package has been really good, we can’t eat the benefits or feed them to our children or pay our bills with them,” Dumesnil said.
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