AAUP chapter’s leadership ratifies concession deal

An American Association of University Professors chapter that represents 1,150 faculty members and others in the four-campus Connecticut State University system has ratified the tentative concession deal.

The AAUP chapter’s governing council voted to ratify the deal without another vote by rank-and-file members, who approved the previous tentative agreement by a 9-1 margin.

The action was announced in a message posted by the chapter’s president, Vijay Nair, who noted that the new tentative agreement is substantively the same as the previous one.

“CSU-AAUP members clearly voted in favor of this agreement and their vote should stand,” Nair wrote.

The AAUP chapter is the first of the 15 unions in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition known to ratify the deal. Under new bylaws, ratification requires approval by eight of the 15 unions.

It was previously announced that the higher-education bargaining units were leaning toward a ratification vote by their governing bodies.

“Unlike most other SEBAC unions, the work year for most of our members does not include the summer months, and many of our members are not around in July and most of August and therefore may not be able to vote. The deadline for ratification or affirmation by all SEBAC unions is August 17^th,” Nair wrote.