We’ve Voted to Ratify Our Contract
We did it: UVM Staff United has voted overwhelmingly to ratify our contract. In the final tally, 923 people or 77% of our membership voted in our ratification election, with 919 voting yes and 4 voting no. With the close of voting at 5pm yesterday, our contract was officially ratified on the UVM Staff United side. This contract - our union’s second ever - represents an advance in worker rights at the University of Vermont. In every article, we either made progress or maintained status quo: there are no losses to our rights in this contract.
For the first time, there is financial recognition of the value longevity brings to UVM, an important step in building a workplace that values all of us won by showing unity at the bargaining table and in our collective actions. Our journey over the past 13 months shows what we can achieve when we stand up not just for ourselves, but for each other. If you have questions about the contract, the first step should be to check the contract itself and look up the article you’re curious about (located in the Member Information page). If you still aren’t sure, contact your Area Steward. The bargaining team is also putting together a list of FAQs, which will go up on the website.
When can we expect to see changes in our paychecks?
On management’s side, the Board of Trustees is expected to vote to ratify our contract on Monday, April 14th. We expect the percentage increases and longevity bonuses to be applied in the paycheck at the end of the month: April 30 for exempt employees and May 2 for non-exempt employees. We expect retroactive pay to be issued in our regular paychecks at the end of May or beginning of June, as HR has indicated that payroll will need some time to make the correct calculations.
What about the job architecture structure?
We greenlit the implementation of the university’s job architecture structure, but reserved the right to bargain the leveling guide, which will describe duties and qualifications for each classification, at some point in the future. Our union will collect information on how the new structure is or isn’t working for members, and will navigate what to do next depending on how it goes. Management has yet to share a timeline for implementation, and we will follow up to collect more information after the contract is officially ratified.
Who is eligible for retroactive pay?
Everyone in our bargaining unit at the time of ratification is eligible for retroactive pay. If you were hired into our bargaining unit between July 1st, 2024 and ratification, you will get retroactive pay for all time worked from your start date until our raises took effect. If you changed from one bargaining unit job to another bargaining unit job between July 1st 2024 and ratification, you will receive retroactive pay for your old salary until your date of hire into your new job, and for your new salary from your date of hire until our raises took effect. If you were in our bargaining unit at some point between July 1st 2024 and ratification, and you have either left UVM or were promoted out of the bargaining unit (to a supervisor position), you are not eligible for retroactive pay. More FAQs are coming to the Member Information section of the website.