This week United Academics' full-time faculty union ratified a new three-year contract. The union had reached a tentative contract agreement on Nov. 14 after ten months of negotiations and mediation sessions.

The new contract will run until July 2014. According to UA, the contract provides modest salary increases, improvement in workload conditions and retention of all existing health benefits and premium rates for active employees. It protects existing sabbatical rights and tuition remission benefits and increases job security for more experienced lecturers at risk of being replaced by lower paid faculty. On the other hand, the contract raises the retirement benefits eligibility age from 60 to 65 while increasing the post-retirement premium payments for future hires.

"We are very pleased that the contract has been finalized and adopted by the membership of United Academics,” said interim president John Bramley. “Today's vote was the culmination of a great deal of hard work by both sides, and it is good to have these negotiations behind us. We look forward to moving ahead in a cooperative and constructive manner."