Bargaining Updates

As the WOAW-UAW strike enters its second week, today the College offered a major compromise on workload. The union rejected the offer and refused to discuss the College’s other proposals. 

Over two bargaining sessions this week, the College brought a total of 23 proposals to the table that, taken together, address all but two of the remaining articles of the contract being negotiated. The College made this push in a determined effort to allow the two parties to move toward agreement more quickly and bring the strike to a close.  

In contrast, today the union offered only an overview of the proposals it had shared earlier in the week and an unrealistic revision to its compensation proposal.

Understanding that workload has been one of the major sticking points in our negotiations, the College offered a significant compromise that would allow current lecturers and instructors of science laboratory (ISLs) to opt out of the proposed five-course load for the duration of their time at Wellesley. Rather than embrace this good-faith proposal, which would have resolved many issues, the union flatly rejected the offer without suggesting compromises of their own. 

Additional examples of the progress the College offered this week include: 

• A new Dependent Care provision under which families with children age 5 or younger would receive a pretax benefit of $5,000.

• A set of new Leave proposals, including a semester of fully paid parental leave, after only one year of faculty service for lecturers and ISLs. 

• On Discrimination and Harassment, the College accepted the union’s request to add the category of citizenship in the contract’s antidiscrimination commitment.

• On Promotions, the College made it easier for faculty to be promoted to senior lecturer and the newly introduced rank of principal lecturer by shortening the service requirement to eight years.

• The College agreed to limit rents for faculty housing to 70% of market rents for the life of the contract. 

The union declined to discuss any of the articles the College put on the table this week, then said they would engage on individual issues only if the College presented all the articles in one comprehensive package—a highly unusual request that goes against general negotiating practice when so many issues remain open. The College considers this all-or-nothing approach unproductive, especially in the middle of an ongoing strike that is having such a negative impact on our community. 

The College offered to add a negotiation session on Monday, which the union accepted. However, given the union’s refusal to engage in a substantive discussion of the proposals the College presented today, we see a diminishing path toward progress. The College emphatically calls on the union to agree to use a neutral, third-party mediator whose sole purpose would be to jointly bring the parties to a final contract.

The College’s bargaining team came to the table with a significant number of new proposals—16 articles in total—aimed at ending the strike with WOAW-UAW, the union representing our non-tenure track faculty. 

The College offered, for the first time, a Dependent Care provision under which families with children five years old or younger would receive $5,000 a year (on a pre-tax basis) to help defray the cost of child care, as part of a package meant to resolve all outstanding benefit issues.

The College also offered a set of new leave proposals that layer on top of already generous benefits, making faculty eligible for many key leave benefits after only one year of service. 

The College’s new proposal on the Prohibition against Discrimination introduces new protections on bullying that would apply to any case of bullying, not just bullying associated with a protected status. The proposal further guarantees that any case of alleged discrimination, harassment, or bullying can proceed to grievance and arbitration and that any case of alleged insufficient “supportive measures” can proceed to grievance and arbitration if the faculty member is not satisfied.

The proposals the College has put on the table enshrine access to important existing benefits, including health insurance and retirement benefits, and access to faculty housing at rents capped at 70% of market value—and rents would not rise by more than 4% per year, under the College’s latest proposal.

The College and the union reached tentative agreements on two articles, bringing the total articles agreed-upon to 22.

These articles and others not detailed here are designed to address many of the concerns raised by WOAW. Taken together, these significant moves by the College draw the parties closer to reaching a comprehensive agreement. We call on the union to end the strike, focus on the critical work at the negotiating table, and allow students to return to their usual classes.

The College continues to believe that the best way forward is to secure the assistance of a neutral private mediator to resolve remaining differences over the contract. We again call on the union to accept our offer of mediation to help reach a final contract as soon as possible. 

At the most recent bargaining session—our 24th—with WOAW-UAW, the College came to the negotiating table with major new proposals that represented significant movement on all of the most consequential issues in dispute between the College and the WOAW. This was a good-faith effort on the College’s part to move these negotiations to closure.

In response, the union not only outright rejected the packages without comment, it put a 95-page document on the table that represented, in their words, the bargaining unit’s “priorities,” which, with some exceptions, merely reiterated many of the basic positions they have maintained during the many months of bargaining. The College’s team was very disappointed by the union’s response and frustrated that it rejected our meaningful package offers without suggesting alternatives that could narrow, rather than expand, our differences. 

The new proposals the College made yesterday that the union has rejected are:

• The College made a new package proposal on Titles, Appointments, Reappointments, Promotions, and Evaluations that offered the union the professorial titles they have been demanding; a just-cause standard for grievances of non-reappointment of long-term NTT faculty; agreement with the union’s demand for fewer years for promotion eligibility; and, generally, an acceptance of their Evaluation article, among other proposed concessions. This was offered as a package in exchange for certain provisions in the Appointments and Reappointments that favored the College’s operational needs. The union rejected this package out of hand.

• The College put a meaningful new package proposal on the table regarding Compensation and Workload that included unprecedented increases in compensation in exchange for union agreement on a five-course annual teaching load for all full-time unit members that represents close to a 30% increase in compensation for bargaining unit employees (BUEs) over the next four years. Details on the College’s new Workload and Compensation proposal can be found here. The union rejected this package as well.

• The College also moved toward the union’s proposal on Discrimination and Harassment, adding for the first time stand-alone protections from bullying even when not linked to a protected category. The union offered a modified proposal on this article at the end of the day, which the College is reviewing.

The union continues to insist on a compensation package that offers an average increase of 54% in the first year of the contract, average per-person raises of $54,000 for those with 10 to 20 years of experience, and average per-person raises of $64,000 for those with more than 20 years of experience. The impact of this proposal would be for the salaries of the NTT faculty to substantially exceed those of many tenure-track faculty—for example, NTT faculty with 18 years of experience would earn 25% more than similarly-experienced full professors. This is an unreasonable proposal that they have not supported with any credible market data.

We look forward to getting back to the bargaining table and working through the open items in good faith.  It is only through that common effort that a workable collective bargaining agreement can be achieved.

Our most recent bargaining session on March 18 continued weeks of forward movement from both parties on several important provisions of the contract. The College passed counterproposals on Leaves, Insurance Benefits, and Union Rights and Access, and the parties reached tentative agreement on Academic Freedom. 

This is more evidence of the substantial progress WOAW-UAW and the College have made, including coming to tentative agreement on nearly 20 articles thus far. WOAW referred to this progress on March 11, when it stated “the College demonstrated serious bargaining movement by packaging some of their proposals together.”

On March 4, 2025, Wellesley College met with WOAW-UAW for our 21st bargaining session since May. The session was a productive one. The College passed counters on Successorship, Severance, Appointment Security, and Prohibition Against Discrimination and Harassment. The College also provided the Union with a package proposal that provided a counter on Union Security in exchange for acceptance of the College’s Management Rights and No Strike/No Lockout proposals.

The Union presented two counterproposals, on Professional Development and Foreign National Employees. The parties reached tentative agreement on the Appointment Security article.

During the session the College presented a counter on Compensation that would result in an overall increase to the salary line of 6.3% for all BUEs in the first year of the contract. Starting salaries for lecturers would increase to $72,000, average salaries of lecturers and senior lecturers would increase to $102,000, and average full-time BUE salary across the board would increase to $94,500. 

The Union’s most recent compensation proposal is without precedent or justification. It includes $90,000 starting salaries for lecturers (compared to the current $64,516) and annual implementation step increases of 4% for each year of experience, plus 6% increases for each year of the contract on top of that. 

The increases in pay that would result from applying the Union’s proposal are staggering. In the first year of the contract, the average per-person raise for BUEs would be $80,000 for those with 10 to 15 years of experience, $107,000 for those with 15 to 20 years of experience, and $109,000 for those with over 20 years of experience. 

The College understands that the Union wants to increase compensation for its members, but threatening to strike for a proposal that includes such disproportionate increases is unreasonable when both parties are at the table and making progress. The College believes that continued good-faith negotiation is in the best interest of the Union—and importantly, of our students and the academic program.

On Feb. 27, 2025, Wellesley College met with WOAW-UAW for our 20th bargaining session since May. The College presented seven counter-proposals on Communications, Tuition, Dependent Care, Tax Assistance, Foreign National Employees, and Union Rights and Access. The Union presented their own counter-proposals on Workload, Compensation, Evaluations and Performance Reviews, Insurance Benefits, Retirement, Management Rights, and Strikes and Lockouts.

Given the number of proposals on each side, the parties took a long caucus to discuss. After caucus, the parties returned for further discussion, and the Union presented a counter-proposal on Dependent Care. The parties also reached a Tentative Agreement on Tax Assistance.

The College and the Union have agreed to start meeting weekly through the spring semester with the goal of continuing their ongoing progress toward a first contract.

On Feb. 10, 2025, Wellesley College met with WOAW-UAW for our 19th bargaining session since May. The College presented seven counter-proposals on Workload, Tax Assistance, Insurance, Retirement, Professional Development, Emergency Support Resources, and Housing. The WOAW-UAW presented two counter-proposals on Dependent Care and Tuition and Fees. After a long caucus, the WOAW-UAW presented another counter-proposal on Tax Assistance.

The parties have made progress in exchanging both economic and non-economic proposals and look forward to a productive session on February 27.

On January 21, Wellesley College and WOAW-UAW met for our 18th bargaining session since May 2024. During the meeting, the College presented our counter proposals on Compensation, Dependent Care, and Tuition, and put forth a comprehensive and competitive economic package that, if enacted, would bring the average FTE salary for members of the bargaining unit to $92,259. 

The College has proposed a four-year contract covering FY26–FY29. The first year proposes a total 3.7% wage increase across the bargaining unit, which includes a 2.5% across-the-board increase for all bargaining unit members and additional increases for bargaining unit employees (BUEs) at the lower end of the wage scale. The proposal provides for an 8.5% increase in the minimum starting salaries of new lecturers/ISLs (to $70,000) and a 5.4% increase for new visiting lecturers (to $68,000). At implementation of the contract, some members will receive additional increases. The College proposed continuing a $6,000 increase to base salary at promotion to senior lecturer/ISL and includes a second promotion opportunity, to principal lecturer, which BUEs do not currently have, with another $6,000 added to base salary.

The College also proposed 2.5% across-the-board increases for each of the next three years of the proposed contract, together with 1.25% increases in the minimum starting salaries in each of the next three years of the contract.  

With this proposal, the average salary for lecturers, senior lecturers, ISLs, and senior ISLs would increase to $99,360 (as of ratification or July 1, 2025, whichever is later) and the average salary for the whole bargaining unit would be $92,259—well above the average salary in the current market, which is $83,000, according to the American Association of University Professors. 

These competitive wages are only one part of total compensation, which includes our current robust benefits package, representing an additional 35% cost on top of a BUE’s salary.

On a related issue, the parties are also negotiating over the work responsibilities of BUEs. The College’s proposal recognizes the distinct role of the BUEs, which is primarily teaching and advising. The union has agreed that research is not an expectation or an evaluation criteria for BUEs, as it is with tenure track faculty. Lecturers and ISLs will continue to do first-year and major/minor advising, engagement that is highly valued by both BUEs and students, but will no longer do research. Under the College’s proposal, BUE’s will also no longer be thesis advisers and will have reduced service expectations. 

The College’s proposal is grounded in a comprehensive peer analysis that found that the vast majority of peer institutions require lecturers to teach five to six courses per academic year. 

Given this peer analysis and role clarification, the College has proposed making the five-course teaching load for visiting lecturers consistent for all full-time BUE lecturers. ISLs will increase from seven to eight labs under the College’s proposal. 

In our session, we also engaged in productive discussions on proposals relating to Union Rights and Access, and the College returned to the union proposals regarding Tuition and Dependent Care. To date, we have reached tentative agreements on 12 noneconomic contract articles.

The College remains committed to working with the union to reach a fair and responsible contract, and we look forward to continuing productive conversations at our next bargaining session on February 10.

On January 7, Wellesley College met with WOAW-UAW for our 17th bargaining session since May. The College presented five counter-proposals on Privileges, Appointments and Reappointments, Work-Life Programs, Insurance Benefits, and Retirement. 

The parties took a long caucus, and the Union presented counter-proposals on Privileges, Insurance Benefits, and Retirement. The parties were able to reach tentative agreement on Work-Life Programs by the end of the session.

The College looks forward to its next bargaining session on January 21, 2025.

On December 17, Wellesley College met with WOAW-UAW for our 16th bargaining session since May. The WOAW-UAW provided eight economic proposals as follows:

International Employees

Severance

Dependent Care

Tuition and Fees

Emergency Support Fund

Leaves

Mortgage Program

Housing

The WOAW-UAW informed the College that it now had the substantial entirety of the WOAW-UAW’s economic proposals. The College will analyze these proposals over the break. The WOAW-UAW also passed two counterproposals on Appointments and Reappointments and Privileges, which the College is considering. The College is pleased with the progress that has been made, including finalizing 11 articles and having substantive conversations on many others. The negotiating team looks forward to resuming negotiations with WOAW colleagues in the new year.

On December 5, Wellesley College met with WOAW-UAW for our 15th bargaining session since May. The parties have one more bargaining session before the end of the year and have made significant progress toward a first contract, having reached tentative agreement on 11 articles.

During this session, the College passed a counter in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding related to the WOAW-UAW’s proposal on AI and a counter on Appointments and Reappointments.The WOAW-UAW presented eight new proposals on economic topics:

Compensation

Retirement

Relocation Assistance

Insurance Benefits

Dining

Work Life Programs

Tax Assistance

Professional Development

The College is reviewing these economic proposals, and the WOAW-UAW indicated that additional economic proposals will be presented at our next bargaining session on December 17. We will continue to provide updates for our community on this website.

On November 19, Wellesley College met with WOAW-UAW for our 14th bargaining session since May and made progress on several important topics. The College is pleased to have reached three tentative agreements with the union on course assignments, workspace and materials, and intellectual property. A summary of these articles can be found here.

The College is encouraged by our progress during the last two negotiation sessions and looks forward to our next bargaining session on December 5. We will continue to provide updates for our community on this website. 

Wellesley College is pleased to share that its most recent bargaining session with WOAW-UAW added to the growing list of signed tentative agreements and showed continued signs of strong and steady progress.

While no new proposals were passed at this session, several revised counterproposals were passed from each side. The College presented counterproposals on Course Assignments, Wintersession and Summer Session, Employment Records, and Holidays. The WOAW-UAW presented counterproposals on Appointments and Reappointments, Workload, and the College’s proposed MOU on AI.

After caucus, the parties reached Tentative Agreement on three of the four counterproposals passed by the College: Holidays, Wintersession and Summer Session, and Employment Records.

The parties’ next bargaining session is scheduled for November 19, 2024. The College is encouraged by our progress during our recent negotiation session, and hopes to reach agreement on further proposals between now and the end of the year.

The main topic of discussion at this session was the College’s new proposal on Prohibition Against Discrimination and Harassment. This is an important issue, and the College’s position is guided by the principle of equity for all members of our community and, where relevant, adherence to federal regulations. The College has made several changes to its proposal to accommodate the union’s feedback. Ultimately, however, the WOAW-UAW is asking to have more rights and a different process than the rest of our community when it comes to the initial processing of claims of discrimination. The College has an obligation to provide a fair process for everyone, and it would be fundamentally unfair to others in our community to have a separate legal process before a labor arbitrator only for these non-tenure track (NTT) faculty that bypasses the fact-finding internal process that protects all other faculty, staff, and students. The College has agreed that union members can file a labor grievance, and has further agreed that the union could ultimately take that grievance to arbitration if it chose to do so. But the College simply asks that the nondiscrimination/Title IX office be allowed 120 days to follow our internal process—including independent fact-finding—before that grievance proceeds. The College strongly believes that this internal process is essential to ensure that all members of our community are treated fairly. 

WOAW has not cited a single instance in which an NTT union member has experienced or complained of discrimination or harassment while working at Wellesley. It is difficult to understand why the NTT faculty insist that they need more rights and a different process. The College’s position protects all faculty, staff, and students equally and ensures that complaints of discrimination and harassment are addressed in a manner that is fair to all.  

We urge community members to refer to a much more detailed explanation of the College’s proposal in the discrimination and harassment section of the Key Issues page. 

In addition, at the meeting Wellesley College presented counterproposals on Workload, Course Assignments, Employment Records, Prohibition Against Discrimination, and Artificial Intelligence. The WOAW-UAW had prepared one proposal at the start of the session, on Wintersession and Summer Session Teaching, and later offered counterproposals on Course Assignments, Employment Records, and Prohibition on Discrimination.

Each side presented four counterproposals. The College presented counterproposals on Appointments and Reappointments, Wintersession, Workspace and Materials, and Privileges. The College also presented a revised Evaluations and Performance Reviews counterproposal to clarify its position on evaluations for Visiting Lecturers.

The WOAW-UAW presented counterproposals on Workload, Titles, Employment Records, and Course Assignments.

The WOAW-UAW also presented a proposed side letter in which bargaining unit members would be allowed to participate in the Albright Faculty Affiliates Program and the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center Faculty Research Initiative. After caucus, the College proposed a modified Memorandum of Understanding that allowed bargaining unit members to participate in these two programs for this and the next academic year. The WOAW-UAW agreed, and the parties signed this non-precedent-setting MOU at the bargaining table.

The parties have scheduled four additional bargaining sessions between now and the end of the calendar year. The College hopes to continue to work to reach agreement on several other articles in the near future.

The WOAW-UAW bargaining team presented a counter-proposal on discrimination and harassment together with a letter signed by community members on this subject. See an explanation of the College’s response to WOAW-UAW’s position on this issue.  

The College team also presented a counter-proposal on evaluation and performance reviews, and the WOAW-UAW negotiators returned a counter-proposal on workspace and materials. 

During the session, the College and WOAW-UAW reached a tentative agreement on the health and safety article. We are pleased at this stage to have also reached tentative agreement on several other important noneconomic contract terms, including severability, job postings, the union-management committee, and discipline and dismissal.  

Wellesley College has met with WOAW-UAW, the union representing non-tenure track (NTT) faculty, for nine bargaining sessions since May. Overall, we are encouraged by our progress thus far, as discussions at the bargaining table have been thoughtful and productive. We are pleased at this early stage to have reached tentative agreement on several important noneconomic points, including severability, job postings, union-management committee, and discipline and dismissal. 

Wellesley deeply values and respects the NTT faculty members of the bargaining unit, who play a vital and distinct role in support of our academic mission of excellence. We are committed to bargaining with the union in good faith to reach a fair contract that recognizes their important contributions while balancing the needs of our students and entire community. 

During the most recent bargaining session, on September 5, the College put forth its counterproposals on employment records, titles, and promotions. Notably, the College’s counterproposal on promotions proposes a new third tier of promotion for senior lecturers who have excelled. It also sets forth the College’s position that members of the bargaining unit should be promoted based on merit, in accordance with the College’s current process, not years of service, as proposed by the union. The College expects to provide further detail about its criteria for promotion in its forthcoming evaluations article. 

The union presented proposals on privileges and grievance procedure for denial of reappointment and promotion and two counterproposals on wintersession and summer session teaching, and health and safety. The College is carefully reviewing these and other proposals and counterproposals, and we will respond in future sessions as we continue to work together to reach an agreement.

The parties recently began to propose articles pertaining to appointments and reappointments, promotions, and evaluations, and we expect these issues to be a significant focus of our meetings throughout the fall. 

Our next bargaining sessions are scheduled for September 24 and October 8. We continue to approach this important work in the spirit of collaboration and commitment to our shared educational mission. We look forward to these meetings with the union as we continue advancing our discussions.