Plymouth State Ratifies New Contract

After eighteen months of hard negotiations, Plymouth State University–AAUP in New Hampshire ratified its second contract. The three-year contract includes important salary and workload gains, which the chapter won in the face of austerity measures sought by the university system office. Faculty received a 1.5 percent raise and a $1,000 bonus immediately upon ratification and will receive another 2 percent raise in July. The salary floor for assistant professors will be raised by 4 percent immediately as well. In 2023 and 2024, faculty will get 2 percent raises, along with another $1,000 bonus in 2024.

And pay for overload courses was increased by 10 percent, although overloads were limited to three to four credits per semester. Retirement matching for current faculty members will be reduced by one percentage point to 9 percent, while faculty members appointed in July 2022 will have an 8 percent retirement match. In fall 2022, chapter members will be enrolled in the same health insurance benefits plan as the rest of the university system. Finally, the new contract contains improved language on release time, low-enrolled courses, retrenchment, sabbaticals, and promotion and tenure.