Dear TT Faculty members,

The parties met for a sixth bargaining session on December 3rd, 2025. In light of our concerns (expressed in previous Negotiation Updates) that the administration was using various provisions of SB 1 and HB 96, the State budget bill, as an excuse to significantly erode our contractual rights across many Articles of the CBA, the KSUFA team began by sharing relevant excerpts from SB 1 and HB 96 and making clear how few implications those laws actually have for existing contractual language. 

HB 96, the budget bill, does contain a threat to withhold significant amounts of funding from the University if the Senate and House Higher Ed committees determine that the University has failed to comply with certain provisions of SB 1. However, the provisions of SB 1 explicitly included in the budget bill are very narrow. Notably, the budget bill does not reference Ohio Revised Code (ORC) sections 3345.45 on Workload Policies, 3345.454 on Retrenchment and Tenure Policies, or 3345.455 restricting appropriate topics for collective bargaining. The University is already well on its way toward complying with every provision of SB 1 explicitly invoked in HB 96. The KSUFA team made clear that nothing in our CBA prevents or in any way inhibits the University’s ability to comply with those provisions of SB 1.  

SB 1 does contain a section (ORC 3345.455) that restricts collective bargaining on several important terms and conditions of Faculty employment, specifically those covered in Ohio Revised Code 3345.45-454. The KSUFA team noted that nearly identical language had been included in section 3345.45 on Workload Policies going back at least to 1994. Unless the administration is prepared to assert that the University has been in flagrant violation of State law for over three decades and over 7 contract cycles, there is nothing in SB 1 that has any implications for our existing Workload Article IX. Sections 3345.451-453—which pertain to student and peer evaluations of teaching, to annual performance evaluations of full-time faculty, and to post tenure review policies respectively—were newly added to the ORC by SB 1. As such, there is no existing CBA language that would conflict with any of the provisions in ORC 3345.451-453.  

It is only language in the newly added ORC section 3345.454 concerning retrenchment policies that has any implication for existing language in our CBA. Specifically, the new retrenchment policy, once approved by the Board, will supersede our current CBA Article X (Retrenchment). KSUFA has acknowledged that fact by deleting all of the hard-fought-for retrenchment procedures and rights of released Faculty in our proposal for Article X. We have only sought to incorporate by reference the policy that will ultimately be approved by the Board into the CBA so that KSUFA can ensure that the University follows its own policy. Without incorporation, the policy will be toothless and the University would be able to simply ignore its provisions with impunity.

The KSUFA team made clear that, with the exception of eliminating the contractual rights contained in our Retrenchment Article, there is nothing in SB 1 or the Budget Bill that justifies any attempt by the administration to significantly erode the contractual rights of Faculty.  

After listening to our presentation, the administration team presented proposals for Article I (Definitions), Article IV (Academic Freedom and Professional Responsibility), and Article VIII (Sanctions for Cause). Together, these three proposals provided a very welcomed response to a proposal KSUFA had made on November 19th to add a new section to Article V (Non-Discrimination) entitled “Respectful Workplace and Prohibition Against Discriminatory Bullying.” Although there will likely be some tweaks that KSUFA will want to propose to the specific language, we believe that the parties are very close to reaching tentative agreement on these three articles.

KSUFA has created a section of our website (https://ksufa.org/index.php/tenure-track-unit/negotiations-2025) dedicated to the TT negotiations. This section contains links to all of the negotiation updates we have sent to our members and links to all proposals on all articles made by either party. From our homepage (https://ksufa.org), you can find the link to the negotiation update both under the TT-Unit drop down menu at the top of the page or just below the Surviving SB 1 section of the homepage.

Although the MOU extending the CBA expires on December 31, 2025, the provisions of the CBA will remain in full force and effect until a successor contract is ratified.

If you have any questions or concerns about negotiations, please don’t hesitate to contact me (dsmith@ksufa.org).

Sincerely,

Deborah Smith

President, KSUFA

Chief Negotiator, TT-Unit