July 28, 2026

Read UUP’s press release about the contract HERE.

Read the state’s press release about the contract HERE.

UUP’s tentative contract agreement with the state is tentative no more.

Members resoundingly approved the new five-year contract with New York state after ballot totals were certified July 27 by MK Election Services, a union company that facilitated UUP’s ratification vote. Voting opened July 10 and ended July 27.

Nearly 98% of eligible voters voted to approve the contract, one of UUP’s largest contract ratification percentages in its 53-year history.

The contract, which includes across-the-board raises in each year of the agreement, new artificial intelligence protections and expanded employee retention awards, is retroactive to July 2, 2026. It runs through July 1, 2031.

“To call this contract historic is not a boast,” said UUP President Fred Kowal. “From salary increases and larger retention awards to a new Higher Education Differential—which awards UUP members with a Master’s degree or higher with a $600 lump sum payment—this pact is one to be proud of.

“Above all, this contract is proof of the power of UUP and the power of organized labor. Our Negotiations Team, led by Chief Negotiator Bret Benjamin, collectively bargained a solid agreement that will provide our members with fair compensation, increased job protections and security for the future,” he said.

UUP is one of the first unions in the country to negotiate groundbreaking stipulations that directly address the threat of artificial intelligence to members. New wording added to the contract mandates that all SUNY courses will be under the “direction and responsibility” of humans, and that humans will have the “ultimate accountability” for work done by AI systems.

“One of our biggest concerns entering into negotiations was the threat of artificial intelligence to our members and to the quality of a SUNY education,” Kowal said. “We will build upon these protections in future negotiations, because we believe that these protections will go far in safeguarding the jobs of our members.”

“Already, education unions from across the country have asked UUP for its AI contract language to use in their collective bargaining agreements,” Kowal said.

Other highlights of the contract include:
• Across-the-board salary increases in each year of the contract, including a 4.5% salary increase in 2026, 4% in 2027, 3.5% in 2028 and 3% increases in each of the last two years of the agreement
• A new Retention Award for bargaining unit members with 17 years at SUNY and increased compensation for previously negotiated Retention Awards at seven and 12 years
• A $600 annual lump sum payment for full-time bargaining unit members with a Master’s degree or higher; part-time members with at least a 0.5 FTE appointment will receive a $300 payment
• Increases in part-time academic course minimum rates and across-the-board minimum salary increases
• Expanded Downstate and Mid-Hudson location pay, including SUNY New Paltz members in Ulster County for the first time
• Hospital-specific compensation (including gains for UUP-represented Residents and Fellows) and increases in on-call, recall and inconvenience pay
• A reduced employee share of healthcare premiums for approximately 6,500 UUP members
• Expanded due process and job security protections
• ·Minimizing the role of student surveys in the evaluation of teaching
• ·Expanded provisions for telecommuting and remote work

Benjamin said the contract “brings transformative gains to the entirety of our unit and sets national standards for higher education and healthcare workers.”

“This is a balanced and principled agreement,” he continued, “it delivers material benefits that address the varied needs of our diverse and tremendously deserving membership.”

Kowal, Benjamin and members of UUP’s Negotiations Team members met with members at SUNY’s state-operated campuses, public teaching hospitals and System Administration to explain the contract and answer questions, either in person or virtually.

Detailed information about the new agreement, including redlined contract language and summaries of all negotiated changes, are available on UUP’s Members Only site, HERE.

"Our Negotiations Team, under Bret’s leadership, did an amazing job to bring home a contract we can all be proud of,” Kowal said.