Bargaining 101: Common Bargaining Terms
As we gear up to begin bargaining at the end of the month, PSUFA is excited to introduce a new feature: Bargaining 101! This semi-regular column in our email newsletters and on our blog and social media will feature learning resources and guides to make sure every adjunct can follow along and support our amazing team as we fight for a great new contract!
You know what you need to thrive as an adjunct, but do you know the right lingo to bargain for it? The bargaining process itself is relatively straightforward, but can be confusing if you aren’t familiar with all the terms, stakeholders, and the many, many acronyms involved. That’s why we put together this list of common bargaining terms for our members, so you can follow along as our bargaining teams fights for a great contract!
Read on, and print out this nifty two-page graphic and keep it handy for in-person and remote observing for our upcoming bargaining sessions!
Bargaining Team: Group of 5-6 PSUFA members who negotiate with PSU Administration to secure a collective bargaining agreement that’s rooted in member priorities. On the other side of the “table” is PSU’s bargaining team.
CAT (Contract Action Team): A group of PSUFA members who support the bargaining process through strategy, member activation, and member communication.
NLRB: National Labor Relations Board
AFT: The American Federation of Teachers, which is the parent union of PSUFA
Ground Rules: Set of agreed-upon guidelines for bargaining, established at the start of bargaining
CBA: Collective Bargaining Agreement (our contract!)
Articles: Specific parts of the CBA covering different aspects of the contract.
TA: Tentative Agreement(s) are reached at the bargaining table when both sides agree to close negotiations over a specific article.
Bargaining Unit: Workers represented by a union based on their contract with the employer (this includes non-members as well as members!). PSUFA’s bargaining unit includes instructional and research faculty hired by PSU at less than .50 FTE. Remember, you have to actively submit a membership form to become a member.
PSUFA Members: Dues-paying members of the bargaining unit, whose support goes towards bargaining efforts, administering benefits funds for adjuncts, and advocating for adjuncts through grievances, ULPs, and other union capacities. Only members can vote to ratify the collective bargaining agreement.
CCL: Current Contract Language refers to the content in PSUFA’s current CBA, which goes through June 2025.
Unions at PSU:
PSUFA: Our union! Representing part-time faculty and researchers at PSU.
AAUP: Full-time faculty and researchers at PSU
GEU: Graduate student employees at PSU including TAs and research assistants
SEIU: Non-instructional staff at PSU
Ratification requirements: A simple majority (50% or greater) of dues-paying union members must vote in favor of a proposed contract in order for the contract to be ratified.