Collective bargaining agreements covering University of Connecticut employees in two unions have expired, as negotiations between the sides continue.
Contracts for the UConn chapters of the American Association of University Professors (UConn-AAUP) and the Professional Employees Association (UCPEA) expired on June 30, before new agreements could be reached.
Last Monday, during a special meeting, UConn’s Board of Trustees voted to authorize the school to enter into one-year contract extension agreements with the unions.
The parties are negotiating the extension agreements, which would remain in place through June 30, 2026, or until successor agreements are approved.
“Authorization to enter into the extension agreements will allow for continuation of important contractual provisions while negotiations of a full successor agreement are ongoing,” UConn said in a statement.
UConn-AAUP has about 2,065 members and UCPEA has about 2,250.
The extensions would not result in additional salary increases, said UConn’s Vice President of Human Resources Lakeesha Brown.
UConn and its major bargaining units also faced delays in their contract negotiations in 2016 and 2021, causing the board to approve one-year extensions while negotiations remained underway. Both times, the school and the unions reached new agreements before the extensions expired.
Also, at UConn Health, two unions — local chapters of the AAUP and University Health Professionals — had their collective bargaining agreements extended for one year (until June 30, 2026), or until a successor agreement has been reached.
UConn Health’s AAUP has about 685 members and University Health Professionals has about 3,400
The stalled contract negotiations come as Gov. Ned Lamont works to reach new wage agreements with state employee unions.
As of last week, 35 bargaining units representing state employees remained under expired contracts.
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect that UConn is still negotiating the extension agreements with UConn-AAUP and UCPEA.
