July 27, 2026: Teams reach tentative agreement for new contract

On Monday, July 27, around 4:30 p.m., the Faculty and Administration Bargaining Teams reached a tentative agreement for a new 3-year contract.

The tentative agreement was achieved after more than 6 hours of negotiations on Monday. The Faculty Bargaining Team met with the AAUP officers on July 28 to discuss the tentative agreement.

“The tone and pace of bargaining changed a lot from where we ended on Friday to what happened on Monday,” Faculty Team Co-Leader Julie McLaughlin said. “We were very pleased that the long day of bargaining resulted in several important improvements to the contract provisions.”

“The Faculty Team greatly appreciates the support of our colleagues throughout this process,” said Faculty Team Co-leader Pam Ecker. “Every time we talked about faculty concerns and why we needed changes in the contract, we were sure the Administration team was thinking about the strong support faculty have always shown for AAUP’s efforts.”

“We will be presenting our members with a tentative agreement that we believe accomplishes many of the goals that are important to our faculty,” Pam said.

The College’s Board of Trustees approved the tentative agreement by a unanimous vote at their meeting on July 28, 2026.

AAUP Chapter members have received information about times and locations for several information sessions when faculty can learn about the contract provisions and ask questions before voting on the tentative agreement.

Faculty voting on the agreement is expected to be completed by August 5.

Full-time faculty members who are not current dues-paying members of the AAUP Chapter, and wish to join so they can vote on the new contract, should contact AAUP Chapter President Abbey Yee.