MnSCU and 3,300 faculty members reach tentative contract agreement

Settlement would cover a two-year period ending in June 2009

By TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune

Last update: February 4, 2008 - 3:21 PM

The union representing nearly 3,300 faculty members at Minnesota's seven state universities has reached a tentative labor agreement with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, officials said.

The tentative agreement announced today would cover a two-year period ending June 30, 2009. Details of the agreement will not be released until both the Minnesota State Colleges and University system and the Inter Faculty Organization, the union representing the faculty, have had an opportunity to review the deal.

"We are pleased to have reached a tentative settlement that makes significant progress in improving the competitiveness of our or salaries relative to peer institutions nationally and assures that our state universities will be able to continue to provide high-quality education to their students," IFO President Nancy Black and Minnesota State Universities Chancellor James McCormick said in a joint statement released today.

The IFO's Board of Directors will meet at the end of the week and make a recommendation to the faculty who will then vote on the proposed settlement. Black said she will encourage the board to recommend that the membership approve the contract.

If approved by the faculty, the settlement will be forwarded to the Minnesota State College and Universities Board of Trustees and finally to the State Legislature for approval.