Kansas Board of Regents approves three-year contract with University of Kansas faculty union

The Kansas Board of Regents on March 5, 2026, approved a three-year memorandum of agreement between the University of Kansas and the faculty bargaining unit United Academics of KU (AFT‑AAUP, AFL‑CIO), the board said at a special meeting called to consider the contract.

John Yeary, a board staff member who presented the issue paper, told the board the parties met frequently, tentatively reached agreement on March 5, 2026, and that the union membership ratified the contract on March 26. "There's 34 articles in this agreement. It's about 70 just shy of 80 pages," Yeary said. He said the term runs from April 2026 to April 2029.

The agreement includes standard provisions covering recognition, union rights, academic freedom, shared governance, promotion and tenure, workload and grievance procedures. Yeary noted a difference in post‑tenure review timing: under the MOA an initial review would occur within seven years and then every five years thereafter to align with board policy.

Yeary also flagged a state budget proviso that for the coming fiscal year limits any extension of disciplinary dismissal correction periods; where practice had allowed a two‑year correction window in some cases, the proviso limits the additional period to one year and the university and board must comply with that limit.

Regent Amar questioned whether Article 16 on workload matched parameters in board policy; Alicia Johnson and Yeary said the MOA's workload provisions align with the board's previously adopted guardrails and that differences reflect distinct expectations for research‑focused versus teaching‑focused faculty. Amar also asked about Article 31's caregiving language; Bridal Dink, outside counsel for the university, said the contract's modified instructional‑duty provisions mirror existing campus practice and are applied as they have been in the past. When Amar queried a side letter's reference to retiree benefits, Bridal Dink clarified the reference was to campus privileges such as library access and parking—not health or pension benefits.

Alicia Johnson moved to approve the memorandum of agreement and identified herself when making the motion. The motion was seconded by Regent Wolf Moore. The board approved the agreement by voice vote; the chair declared the agreement approved and adjourned the meeting.

The board did not record a roll‑call tally in the transcript; the action was completed by voice vote. The university will distribute the agreement to department administration following the board's action, according to the presenters.