Oct 7, ’09 – After more than ten months of bargaining, MEA-MFT members in the University Faculty Association (University of Montana) have a tentative agreement for a new collective bargaining agreement.

“We did get a number of good items in the new CBA but it has “0 & 0” as a base pay increase for this biennium. That makes it a lousy deal, but it’s the best lousy deal that we could get under these circumstances.”

Coffin said that political issues kept UFA members from getting a better contract, and “political issues can’t be settled at the bargaining table.”

Lack of adequate state funding for higher education has hampered nearly all of Montana’s higher education faculty unions in recent years.

“Recognizing that, we must immediately set about resolving the political issues, through advocacy, before we return to the bargaining table,” or we will be in the same situation next time,” Coffin said. “We can’t start too soon.”

UFA members and other representatives from MEA-MFT faculty unions have already begun mobilizing to advocate for better funding of higher education. Read more.