May 2024

UA Vice President Eric Lindstrom represents United Academics at the May Day rally. He said it’s outrageous that the starting salary for full-time Lecturers is below living wage, and the median salary for Lecturers has actually dropped, while top administrators get high-five-figure raises and bonuses. UA members rallied for a fair contract alongside members of UVM Staff United, Graduate Students United, and the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals.

Union power is working. We need to stay strong and get stronger.

Big rally turnout. Cross-union collaboration. Bernie. The momentum is very much with campus unions!

And here’s the truth: this administration, which led off with a frankly insulting proposal, hopes to wear us down. We are unlikely to see a reasonable salary proposal before June. We’re also not the only unit they’re trying to keep down - ask our colleagues on Staff United and Graduate Students United.

That’s why we are wrapping up this spring with rallies and a wave of energy. People in power need to see that campus unions stand together. They need to see that we will keep standing up to them until we win. They will try to stall us out, hoping that members will give up. This month, and into the fall, we need to show them that we will do what it takes to get the contract that faculty deserve, with substantial salary increases, greater job security, and a lot more.

UA members, you are showing up more than we’ve ever seen before. It’s making a difference. More than 60 members consistently observe each bargaining session and turn out for rallies. You need to know how important your presence is: thank you!

We don’t want negotiations to drag on, but we also know that we need to be willing to keep pushing as long as it takes to get to a contract that members will accept.

We have two more bargaining sessions, 5/31 and 6/7, before our summer pause. Please show up (in your UA gear)! And then let’s take some time to rest and restore our energy after this busy academic year.

In solidarity,

Suzy and Kate

Suzy Comerford, President
Katlyn Morris, Executive Director

Contract Campaign Notes from Katlyn

This past weekend United Academics and UVM Staff United held a second rally this month for fair contracts. We were joined by Senator Bernie Sanders, who spoke up to support UVM unions. Then we marched up to Davis, where union members lined the halls in a silent rally as UVM trustees arrived for lunch.

On Saturday, during the Board of Trustees public comment, United Academics was represented by your President Suzy Comerford, Treasurer Joe Kudrle, and Barganing Team lead Jane Knodell. I felt so much pride and love for UA in that moment, witnessing such articulate, passionate advocacy on behalf of fellow union members.

Taken together, the speeches by Suzy, Jane, and Joe gave a complete picture of advocacy for our faculty members. In particular, they spoke up about how UVM has taken advantage of the most vulnerable faculty, Lecturers, and must begin to treat them with dignity and fairness.

“The administration has taken advantage of the non-tenure-track teaching faculty for far too long. We are literally the boots on the ground doing the bulk of the teaching that keeps this university functioning,” said Joe Kudrle, a 21-year Lecturer who boldly told his own story.

Jane Knodell said: “Over my time at UVM, we’ve seen an increasing reliance on our non-tenure-track faculty to teach our students: Non-tenure track faculty taught 39% of all Student Credit Hours in 2012-13, and 59% in 2022-23. Non-tenure track faculty made up 20% of the teaching-engaged faculty in 2012-13, and one-third in 2022-23. Clearly, our NTT teaching faculty is no longer a temporary and “contingent” work force. As undergraduate teaching has been shifted to Lecturers and Senior Lectures, the average cost of instruction has been lowered. This has been particularly important during the years of flat tuition rates. The non-tenure track teaching faculty are the unsung hero of the financial health of UVM.”

I want all faculty members to know how amazing your union leadership is. These leaders understand their duty is to go to bat for you. They can’t do it without deep support behind them. Bargaining is not over. We have two more sessions scheduled this spring, and we’ll push as hard as we can. Then we’ll rest, and return to the table ready to go in the fall. We will need you then as strong, and stronger, than today.

Excerpts from Suzy’s Speech to UVM BOT

“If you asked me last year about the state of our faculty, I would have said morale was lower than I have seen it in the 25 years I have served here. Today, I have a different answer. Your faculty is fired up. They are angry, and deeply insulted by the administration’s initial salary offer and the complete inadequacy of the majority of the administration’s proposals.

These proposals, in the context of the real, economic challenges facing faculty and their families, are untenable.  Many faculty are significantly struggling simply making ends meet. The causes of these frequently dire economic struggles is already clear to many of you: salaries that do not reach a livable wage, skyrocketing property taxes, unprecedented inflation, the extremely tight housing market in the state, childcare costs, double digit health care increases year by year, and loan repayments for college, masters degrees, and doctorates they took on for their own educations. 

We took one for the team in the last contract. Administration’s low offers were based on the uncertainties of Covid at the time. We cannot and will not take another three years for the “team”.  There are consequences when management makes the decision to hold tuition level for five years, despite inflation. There are also consequences for the continuing discounting the cost of attending UVM. You cannot solve these issues on the backs of faculty and staff, the very people who serve our students day in and day out.”

Ask: Show up 2x more before summer pause

Friday May 31, 9am-12pm: Jeffords 234 and on Zoom
Friday June 7, full day: Jeffords 234 and on Zoom

We have two more sessions before the process pauses for most of the summer. We have the energy and momentum now: please show up strong for these two sessions. We’ll use the summer pause to restore, regroup, and plan: you’ll hear from us again in August.

Upcoming UA Events:

Tuesday May 28, 7pm: Labor Night at Vermont Green Football Club. Virtue Field. Come celebrate union solidarity and see a great soccer match! Email info@unitedacademics.org if you plan to attend with our UA group.

August 28, 4-6:30pm: Save the date for our UA Members Picnic at Oakledge Park!

Upcoming bargaining sessions:

Friday May 31, 9am-12pm: Jeffords 234 and on Zoom

Friday June 7, full day: Jeffords 234 and on Zoom

All members are welcome to attend as observers for part or all of each session.

For a full list of UA meetings and events, as well as meetings and events held by other unions and endorsed by UA, visit our calendar.

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