Kansas Regents approve first union contract for KU faculty, staff

The Kansas Board of Regents unanimously approved the University of Kansas’ first collective bargaining contract for faculty and academic staff, a deal that could reshape daily work on the Lawrence campus and set a benchmark for labor relations across Kansas higher education.

The agreement, approved April 20, covers more than 1,500 employees at KU’s main Lawrence campus and its Overland Park site. It is a three-year contract that runs through April 15, 2029, but it still needs approval from the Kansas Department of Administration before it can take effect.

United Academics of KU won certification as the bargaining representative in May 2024 after faculty voted 850-132 in favor of union representation in April 2024. Of 1,551 eligible faculty members, 982 cast ballots. Since then, KU said the two sides held 58 negotiation sessions before reaching tentative agreement on all 37 articles of the contract.

The deal includes a 1% across-the-board raise this year, along with baseline compensation levels tied to academic ranks and promotions. It also addresses workload, sabbatical, post-tenure review, promotion, grievances, academic freedom, governance, program discontinuance, and union and management rights, all issues that affect how teaching, research and service are structured at KU.

That matters in Lawrence, where KU is one of the region’s largest employers and a central part of the city’s economy and civic identity. The contract’s pay provisions, grievance rights and workload rules will shape how faculty and academic staff experience the university day to day, from classroom assignments to promotion pathways and disputes over evaluation.

The Regents’ meeting book said much of the language mirrors existing university or board policy, but the post-tenure review section differed from Regents policy and would need to align with the board’s five-year evaluation schedule rather than the seven-year cycle originally proposed. The board also noted that KU had already reached an earlier limited compensation agreement approved Aug. 5, 2024, which included 2% cost-of-living increases for the 2024-25 academic year.

In a March 6 announcement of the tentative deal, Marsha McCartney said collective action had strengthened the institution and improved higher education at KU. KU’s bargaining update said the agreement on all 37 articles reflected “enormous dedication and time spent” by both sides.

The broader stakes extend beyond KU. PEERA, the Public Employer-Employee Relations Act, has governed public employer-employee relations in Kansas since 1972, and this first contract at KU may become a reference point for labor talks at other Kansas public universities. For KU leaders, the agreement also carries a practical recruitment and retention message: stable compensation rules, clearer grievance procedures and more predictable review standards can help the university compete for faculty and staff in Douglas County and beyond.