FOCUS MSU

On Wednesday, July 9, MSU Human Resources sent an email indicating that employees not represented by a union would be receiving wage increases on their July 23 paychecks, while union-represented employees would not. This has understandably generated a lot of questions, so please see below for some important clarification.

FOCUS leadership is in the middle of bargaining with management for our 2025-27 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Our first session took place on June 19th, and we discussed not just wage increases but also a slate of proposals for other material benefits for union-represented employees. FOCUS members will receive a more detailed update on our bargaining meeting in the coming days. While we are on the same page with management about the base-wage increase (which will be equivalent to what was announced for non-represented employees), we have not yet reached an agreement on other items. It is not uncommon for this to take multiple sessions, and due to scheduling conflicts, our next bargaining session is scheduled for July 22nd. Once we reach a tentative agreement, the FOCUS bargaining team will take the contract back to our 7 respective campuses, and members will vote on whether to ratify the contract (a reminder that we don't just bargain as MSU, we bargain collectively with six other MUS campuses). Pending ratification, the contract is then taken to the next Board of Regents meeting for approval, at which point the contract will go into effect, including the $1/hour or 2.5% wage increase. Regardless of when the contract is ratified and approved, our wage increases will be effective as of July 1, so our first paycheck after full ratification will include back-pay for previous paychecks that didn't yet include those wage increases.

While it is true that contract professionals, LOA, and non-union-affiliated employees are not subject to the conditions of a CBA, so that HR can automatically apply the wage increases at the start of the fiscal year, it is very important to remember that no one would be receiving annual wage increases were it not for union bargaining. MFPE negotiates with the Governor's Office over state and university employee wage increases that are funded through legislative appropriations in House Bill 13 (the State Employee Pay Plan), and MFPE members work during the legislative session to ensure the passage of that bill. The $1/hour raises implemented across the Montana University System on July 1 were made possible by the work of our union.

With health insurance premium increases, housing, inflation, and other general cost-of-living increases, we know how important it is for our employees to see the annual wage increases as soon as possible. However, it is equally important that we fight for the needs of our employees at the bargaining table, and we are determined to push for the best possible outcome for our members.

If you wish to have a say in this process--from helping shape our priorities at the bargaining table, to receiving detailed updates on the process, and ultimately having a vote on the tentative agreement--you have to be a member of our union. If you're not a member yet, you can join the union at https://mfpe.org/sign.