On Thursday, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs James Bean, in an email to the campus community, detailed the university’s tentative agreement on a first contract with part-time faculty working on the Boston campus. Here is the provost’s message.

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues:

Early this morning, during the 20th formal bargaining session with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the university reached a tentative agreement on a first contract with part-time faculty working on the Boston campus.

The agreement was reached after the university made it clear to union leaders that their proposed work stoppage next week would not have any impact on the university’s final offer. Shortly thereafter, the union agreed to the university’s terms.

We believe this is a fair and equitable agreement that corresponds closely to the offer I detailed for you last Friday. In terms of compensation, the university has offered competitive salary increases for part-time faculty. We believe these increases are in keeping with the market for faculty talent and consistent with the university’s overall compensation strategy.

As mentioned previously, the university will provide qualifying part-time faculty with access to the university’s three health plans with a 50 percent contribution from Northeastern. Part-time faculty will also receive enhanced benefits, including increased professional development opportunities, access to administrative support and meeting space, and discounted access to the Cabot pool and campus parking.

The agreement also includes strong protections that preserve management and operational flexibility for the university. This will allow the university to continue to be innovative and nimble—allowing us to maintain our leadership in a rapidly changing global higher education landscape.

Most critically, the university retains the ability in all cases to guide the academic direction of its colleges, departments, and programs. The agreement prohibits strikes and pickets during the life of the contract, which will ensure that the faculty’s focus remains where it should: on student learning.

Our accomplished and diverse faculty is the backbone and lifeblood of the university. We deeply value the contributions to our community made by all faculty—part-time, full-time, tenured, and non-tenure track. In the months and years ahead, the administration looks forward to working with the faculty, and all members of our community, to continue Northeastern’s remarkable trajectory and realize incredible new heights.

Regards,

James C. Bean

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs