Bargaining Updates for USD CAS NTT Faculty

Updated: June 11, 2025.

Many colleagues have asked members of our elected Bargaining Action Team (BAT) where things stand in negotiations for our first union contract.

While we’re still far apart on some issues, we’re glad to announce that the administration has moved closer to our proposals following our two-day Unfair Labor Practice strike in early May! The lesson: strikes work, collective action works. All CAS NTTs are very grateful to the students, alumni, faculty, and community allies who supported us as we walked off the job.

Recently, the BAT proposed bringing in a mediator to our negotiations to help us move closer to a tentative agreement on a first union contract, and the university agreed. We held our first mediated bargaining session on Thurs., June 6, and we believe it was productive.

Still, we need the university to make progress on compensation and job security issues. For example, USD continues to offer a small retroactive pay increase for this past academic year, even though the university was required to bargain with us over this back in the fall and failed to do so.

Any agreement reached at the table must be approved by a faculty vote, and the BAT will keep CAS NTTs updated as the process plays out. For now, here is a summary of our key contract proposals and USD’s counters:

Our Proposals	USD’s Counters
Our Wage Proposal   Our wage proposal includes:   -A base rate of: $73,200 for full-time NTTs starting in 2025-26 (24 units) – $3,050 per unit, at the minimum, for all benefits-based faculty and any non-benefits-based faculty who have worked at USD for more than four semesters – $2,700 per unit rate for non-benefits-based NTT faculty for their first four semesters at USD   – A 5.5% pay increase for faculty members with terminal degrees   -Increases after three years at a faculty members’ current title, and further increases when NTT faculty promote to a new title   – Wage increases for 2026-27 and 2027-28 that keep up with inflation (are tied to the San Diego Consumer Price Index increases)   -We’re also demanding USD bargain for wage increases they illegally stopped in 2024-25.	USD Wage Proposal USD wants to largely maintain our low pay. Their proposal includes:   -No pay increases beyond 2025-26, except at the total discretion of the Board of Trustees.   -Lower per-unit pay for non-benefits-based faculty compared to our proposal, no matter how long they work at USD.   -Only a 3% adjustment for faculty with terminal degrees   -A small (2.75%) increase in 2024-25, retroactive to Sept. 1   -Small increases only for benefits-based NTT faculty when they promote to a new title, which they are only eligible for after six years
Our Job Security and Benefits Eligibility Proposals   We deserve job security.   We’ve proposed longer contracts based on years of experience and title, as well as the establishment of rehire rights to give NTTs more job security. We also have proposed that the university cannot decline to provide a non-benefits-based NTT faculty member an additional course or section just because the additional course/section will transition the faculty member to become benefits-eligible.	USD Job Security Proposals   Maintains the status quo in several ways, including that the University can refuse to provide more courses or sections to a faculty member when it would mean the faculty member would become benefits-eligible.
Our Proposal on Titles Our proposal includes changing the title for benefits-based and long-term non-benefits-based unit members to “Teaching Professor,” with opportunities for promotions to new titles that include bumps in pay.	Our Proposal on Titles USD wants to retain the lecturer titles for all non-benefits-based faculty members, with no opportunity for promotion or pay increases.
Our Retirement Benefits Proposal   We all deserve to retire.   We proposed that all unit members should be eligible to participate in the USD-sponsored retirement plans, including non-benefits-based NTT faculty after they’ve completed one year of service (whether they become benefits-based after that year or not).	USD’s Retirement Benefits Proposal   Status quo, meaning many unit members are excluded from retirement benefits.
Our Proposals on Parking and Trams   We want free parking permits for part-time unit members and discounted rates full-time unit members.	USD’s Proposals on Parking and Trams   Keeps the status quo, meaning we still must pay the full amount for parking on campus.
Our Proposal on Artificial Intelligence   AI should not replace faculty. Our proposal says AI should not replace faculty for purposes of providing academic instruction to, and regular interaction with, students in a course of instruction, and may only be used as a peripheral tool to support faculty in carrying out tasks for uses such as course development, assessment, and tutoring. This is the exact language the California legislature passed to apply to community colleges.	USD Proposal on Artificial Intelligence   The administration rejected our proposal with no counter.
Our Proposal for Visas for international NTT faculty   We’ve asked for the university to sponsor visas for international NTT faculty whose work authorization expires while they are on contract with the university and for any subsequent employment with USD.	USD Proposal for Visas for international NTT faculty   The administration rejected our proposal with no counter.