What is the process involved in bargaining a
contract with the State for our union?
Bargaining the contract is an ongoing process and includes more than just the time spent at the negotiating table. SU member input in the form of surveys, chapter meetings, and individual outreach help shape the strategy the team incorporates for negotiations.
Below is a general, condensed overview from electing member negotiators to reaching a tentative agreement.
1. SU surveys members for insight into their priorities and elect members to the bargaining
team (Fall 2020)
2. Bargaining team, including APEA-AFT staff, begin researching and drafting proposed
language (Fall 2020)
3. SU starts meeting with the State team at agreed upon times, dates, and locations
(December 2020)
4. Proposals, and counter-proposals, are exchanged and discussed (ongoing)
5. When both sides agree on a particular topic, both sides tentatively agree (TA) (ongoing)
6. Once all open articles have reached a TA, SU negotiations present the full tentative
agreement to membership (TBD)
7. Only Full Members of SU can vote on the Tentative Agreement. If you aren’t a full member
yet, or are not sure, you can download, fill out, and return your membership form here.
8. If SU members reject the full tentative agreement, SU must go back to the negotiations
table and start anew.