Our union, United Academics, has been fighting for a fair and just UVM for all and a fair and just contract for nine months, over 19 bargaining sessions, and we are not about to give up. The UVM administration has proposed to roll back salaries and retirement benefits, after having promised that freezing tuition would not be accomplished on the backs of faculty and staff.

The UVM administration wants to:

·       Eliminate retirement contributions for two years (representing a substantial loss in retirement savings over time), while top-level administrators continue to receive retirement contributions

·       Roll back base salaries by 10% over the next 3 years.

·       Cut sabbatical pay, eliminate sabbaticals for Clinical, Extension, and Research faculty, and eliminate professional development leaves altogether

Meanwhile, the administration has unilaterally cut salaries of staff who have yet to organize their union, and is clearly trying to divide faculty and staff against each other. The administration has NOT cut retirement for anyone, and we believe it is because UVM unions have held the line on this.

WE KNOW that this administration sees its employees as line items on a budget and wants to eliminate costs, cut positions, and continue to squeeze faculty and staff to do more with less, undermining the value of a UVM education.

WE KNOW that the value of the UVM educational experience lies in the relationships between faculty, students, staff, and our community.

WE KNOW that students choose a UVM education because of our outstanding and dedicated faculty and staff and that UVM enrollment is strong, even in the midst of this pandemic.

WE KNOW that the administration chooses its priorities in budgeting, and that they are taking advantage of this pandemic to roll back employee salaries for the long term

And

WE KNOW that we are stronger when we stick together in these times of difficulty, and stay unified rather than divided

Our demands are reasonable and just, and our processes are respectful and aligned with UVM’s mission. This administration has demonstrated the opposite of all that.

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