UTSF Official Statement
Several critical issues were discussed at Monday’s UTSF membership meeting. Yesterday, the UTSF Executive Council met with our MEA attorney and UniServ Director to address two serious and time-sensitive concerns resulting from MSU administration’s actions:
MSU administration attempting to block Academic Governance’s long-standing participation in the process for determining faculty salary pool raise percentages for the next academic year, and
The administration’s rejection of faculty grievances and established grievance procedures.
Salary Pool Raise Percentages
Our legal Counsel advised UTSF to move forward immediately with bargaining over salary pool raise percentages that will be distributed to the respective colleges for 2026-2027 faculty raises.
These negotiations will apply to the upcoming academic year only. UTSF will not negotiate anything that extends beyond the next academic year, and any agreement will be subject to a membership vote. Any agreement with the university is not binding for our first contract – it is only binding for the salary pool raise for the upcoming year.
Please note that the existing methods used by each college to allocate those funds remain in effect under status quo. This means that, although processes may differ across colleges and units, college and unit-level allocations of raise pool funds should proceed according to established practices and cannot be changed unilaterally.
In accordance with our bylaws, the Executive Council will meet with Assembly Representatives (ARs) to consider next steps in forming a negotiation team. Because we have to move quickly, we scheduled the following meeting to discuss this urgent issue:
AR/EC meeting regarding negotiations:
April 28, 2025
10:00–11:00 a.m.
A Zoom link will be distributed separately.
Grievance Procedure
MSU administration made a unilateral decision to stop all faculty grievance procedures (see their change to the faculty handbook here). Given that UTSF does not have our first contract with the administration, this means MSU has taken away any option for faculty to grieve when they believe they have been harmed by a university policy, practice, or decision.
UTSF’s position is clear: The established grievance practices must remain in effect. The administration’s decision to remove these procedures harms faculty and violates status quo. We have made good-faith efforts to engage in dialogue with the administration on restoring the established grievance process. Unfortunately, the administration is unmoved.
If you were told you can no longer file a grievance, received a letter from the FGO stating they cannot proceed, were denied promotion, were denied tenure, or have another grievance-related concern, please complete the Google Form below as soon as possible so we can work with you to address your concerns.
Report a Grievance or Potential Grievance
UTSF will continue to defend faculty rights, enforce established procedures, and challenge the administration's unilateral actions as we move towards bargaining our first contract.
With solidarity,
NiCole Buchanan, UTSF President
Zach Kaiser, UTSF Vice President
Musaib Ashraf, UTSF Treasurer
Julie Libarkin, UTSF Secretary
Want to help your union?Volunteer for a standing committee! or volunteer to assist with UTSF communications by emailing union@utsfmsu.org!
Do you think UTSF is a step towards positive change at MSU? Encourage your colleagues to join the union and attend the membership meeting — Send them to this link to join! https://mymea.org/msu-utsf/apply/#/
