SUNY union ratifies new contract with New York State

ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday announced the ratification of a four-year labor agreement with United University Professions (UUP), which includes more than 37,000 SUNY system faculty and professional employees.

The agreement, which runs until July 1, 2026, won the approval of 96.4 percent of UUP members who cast ballots.

The ratified contract includes raises in each year of the agreement “consistent” with other recently negotiated agreements, Hochul’s office said.

The pact includes other increases in compensation such as a lump-sum bonus and up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave. The contract also includes changes in the health-insurance program that will encourage in-network employee utilization and help control health-insurance costs. The agreement includes funding of labor-management initiatives, Hochul’s office added.

More than 15,400 members voted — 14,900 voted for the new contract, 556 voted against it, UUP said in a separate statement on Friday.

MK Election Services, which conducted the ratification vote, tallied the votes. This is the first time that UUP members voted electronically to ratify a contract. Members cast votes between Aug. 10 and Aug. 24.

“This contract contains historic gains for our members and builds on advances made in our last contract,” UUP President Frederick Kowal said in the UUP announcement. “It rewards our members at SUNY’s public teaching hospitals — who were on the front lines of the pandemic — raises minimum salaries for our lowest-paid members and provides 12 weeks of parental leave with pay.”