On April 30, 2008, Wayne State University and the Union of Part Time Faculty (UPTF) AFT-CIO reached tentative agreement on their first collective bargaining agreement. The agreement is subject to ratification by the UPTF membership. We anticipate that the contract will be in place for the Fall Semester.

Negotiations between the UPTF, which was recognized last Spring, began in November 2007. The tentative contract will last four years following the date of adoption.

The new contract provisions will govern many aspects of the relationship between the University and part-time faculty. Included in the compensation package is a substantial increase in salaries of approximately 23 percent over the life of the agreement. The salary increases are designed to provide the largest increase for those faculty members at the lowest pay levels. Part-time faculty wages had been unchanged for several years.

Nancy S. Barrett, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, expressed her appreciation to the bargaining teams. "Both teams worked incredibly long hours to sort through many challenging issues. I congratulate them on working together constructively to arrive at a contract that should prove beneficial to the University, our excellent part-time faculty, and the students whom we all serve."

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.