Skidmore faculty members are committed to a good faith contract

The Skidmore Faculty Forward group and SEIU gathered Friday afternoon for a trust agreement.

About 190 faculty members, librarians and other non-tenure-track workers voted to join SEIU Local 200 in September 2022. According to the groups, there were 30 bargaining sessions and 20 tentative agreements on the contract.

They say the Skidmore government is stalling on meeting its core demands, including regular pay raises. In June, the college gave them a 3% salary adjustment without negotiating with the union.

In a statement, the college said, in part: “To suggest that the College did not negotiate in good faith with the union or that we set a cap on salaries for (non-tenured) faculty members is simply not true. … The union.” The current compensation proposal would increase the college’s operating costs by $3 million in the current year, and the total cost of the three-year contract would be $10 million above what the college has currently budgeted. As a nonprofit institution, the college’s fiscal limitations are a reality that inevitably play a role in economic negotiations. However, we are working diligently and responsibly to reach an agreement that is fair and equitable to all College employees, including our NTT faculty.”