Election Basics
A successful campaign must earn a majority (50% + 1 vote) of ballots cast (not the whole bargaining unit). That means, regardless of your position on a union, you should cast your vote and make your voice heard if you're eligible to do so.
The Election Process:
- The bargaining unit must submit a petition to the Alaska Labor Relations Agency (ALRA), which will review it. This step is complete.
- If ALRA approves the petition, the union must then collect and submit signed authorization cards. This step is complete.
- The ALRA will then decide 1) whether enough cards have been submitted (This step is
complete), and 2) which employees will be allowed to vote in the election. A hearing is scheduled for December 8-10, 2025 to resolve any disagreement between
the union and the University on whether specific positions should be in the proposed
bargaining unit.
- The attorneys for UA and CAUSE will present their cases on which positions are eligible to be in the unit, based on the definition of the proposed unit and the application of relevant laws and regulations. This is one of the last steps before the election campaign begins.
- A decision will be issued by the ALRA hearing panel sometime after the conclusion of the hearing.
- An election is set, held, and administered by ALRA. While the ALRA will ultimately
be responsible for the timing and scheduling of any election, at this point, we believe
that the earliest an election could be scheduled is during the Spring 2026 semester.
- In the election, a majority of the employees who cast a vote will decide whether the union will be recognized.
- For example: if 1,000 employees are eligible to vote and only 100 actually cast ballots, a simple majority of 51 votes would determine the outcome for all 1,000 employees.
- Voting is an employee's best option for ensuring their voice is heard and given meaning.
Supervisory and Confidential Employees
It is important to note that under Alaska law and as agreed to by the Union, “supervisory” and “confidential” employees cannot be in the same bargaining unit as other employees.
- Supervisory employees are defined by role, not title. They are those who have the power to make important decisions for their employer, including: hiring, transferring, or laying off employees; disciplining employees; or handling employee complaints and union grievances.
- Confidential employees are those who assist managers with labor relations issues and policies.
- Part of the function of the upcoming December hearing will be to determine whether certain positions at the University are “supervisory” and/or “confidential” (a single position may be both), in order to determine if employees in those positions can be included in the proposed bargaining unit and be allowed to vote in the election.
What's UA's Bargaining Philosophy?
UA negotiates in good faith and works constructively with all of our bargaining units.
The Bargaining Process
If the proposed CAUSE union is successful in the election, it would become a newly formed bargaining unit, meaning there would be no existing contract at the outset. A first agreement would need to be negotiated and ratified before taking effect. Once finalized, that contract would apply to all employees across UA’s three universities - UAA, UAF, and UAS - and System Office employees who are included in the bargaining unit.
- Ground Rules Established
- Before bargaining begins, UA and CAUSE will likely establish ground rules to govern the negotiation process. This typically includes rules for who is a part of each group’s negotiating team, whether negotiations are open or closed, and how proposals will be tracked throughout the negotiation process.
- Negotiations Begin
- Once a schedule is agreed to, negotiations begin. A union contract (or collective
bargaining agreement, also called a CBA) typically governs the following areas listed
below. The outcome of the negotiating process is not known yet, so it is impossible
to predict what will end up in a final contract.
- Pay/compensation (This could include total compensation, stipend versus hourly payments, etc.)
- Work hours and workdays
- Disciplinary rules
- Types of work to be performed
- Amount of supervision and supervisor feedback
- Grievance process for employment complaints
- Amount of work to be performed (for example, number of papers graded) and amount of time allotted to accomplish the work
- Health benefits, including cost, types of plans, coverage, and applicability
- Any other benefit not currently provided (this could include disability or death benefits, retirement savings, etc.)
- Tuition waivers
- Housing benefits
- Ancillary benefits such as reduced gear rental rates, free Skiland Passes, and student sports passes.
- Once a schedule is agreed to, negotiations begin. A union contract (or collective
bargaining agreement, also called a CBA) typically governs the following areas listed
below. The outcome of the negotiating process is not known yet, so it is impossible
to predict what will end up in a final contract.
- Strike Authorization
- At times during the negotiation process, the union may ask its members to vote to authorize a strike. This does not necessarily reflect a breakdown in negotiations or mean a strike will occur.
- Tentative Agreement
- A tentative agreement occurs when the two parties reach an agreement. If a tentative
agreement is not reached by a mutually agreed-upon time, both sides can agree to an
extension to continue bargaining.
- Alaska Law requires monetary terms (i.e., compensation, benefits) for union contracts to be submitted to the Legislature and Department of Administration for consideration by the 60th day of the legislative session.
- This generally means contracts must be at least "TA'd" (tentatively agreed to) pending steps 5 and 6 below before they can be submitted to the Legislature and the Department of Administration.
- Based on past experiences, UA lacks the capacity and ability to implement "retroactive raises" (i.e., a contract is tentatively agreed upon after the 60th legislative day, with funds for the monetary terms requested and provided retroactively to employees). This means that if a contract isn't TA'd by the 60th Legislative day, the impacted bargaining unit will not receive an across-the-board increase for the following fiscal year that begins on July 1.
- A tentative agreement occurs when the two parties reach an agreement. If a tentative
agreement is not reached by a mutually agreed-upon time, both sides can agree to an
extension to continue bargaining.
- Membership and Board of Regents Review
- Once a tentative agreement is reached, the union presents the agreement to its eligible members for review and voting. Each eligible member is able to vote on the CBA.
- The University of Alaska Board of Regents also reviews the tentative agreement.
- Ratification
- After the handshake, the new CBA is ratified through a majority vote by eligible represented employees: 50% plus one of the votes cast must be yes.
- The UA Board of Regents must also vote to approve the contract by a simple majority (at least 50% + 1 of the votes cast must be yes).
- New Contract
- All agreements – the CBA, supplements and riders – must be ratified before any of them can be implemented.
It is important to note that under Alaska law and as agreed to by the Union, “supervisory” and “confidential” employees cannot be in the same bargaining unit as other employees.
- Supervisory employees are defined by role, not title. They are those who have the power to make important decisions for their employer, including: hiring, transferring, or laying off employees; disciplining employees; or handling employee complaints and union grievances.
- Confidential employees are those who assist managers with labor relations issues and policies.
- Part of the function of the upcoming December hearing will be to determine whether certain positions at the University are “supervisory” and/or “confidential” (a single position may be both), in order to determine if employees in those positions can be included in the proposed bargaining unit and be allowed to vote in the election.
Contact University of Alaska Public Affairs
Journalists on deadlines can easily reach the Office of Public Affairs team by phone or email.
Contact: Jonathan Taylor, Director of Public Affairs
Phone: 1-907-786-1190
Email: jmtaylor9@alaska.edu