DURHAM, N.H. — The University of New Hampshire chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP-UNH) has declared an impasse in contract negotiations with the university administration after 490 days of bargaining and has petitioned the New Hampshire Public Employee Labor Relations Board for mediation. AAUP-UNH leaders say the administration has failed to address rising living costs, faculty retention challenges, and the long-term health of the university.
AAUP-UNH's Executive Committee voted to declare impasse after months of negotiations produced little movement on major economic issues, including salaries and health insurance. The union says administration proposals offer no salary increase for the period during which negotiations stalled and only modest increases afterward. According to the union, these proposals fall behind comparable institutions and threaten UNH's ability to recruit and retain high-quality faculty.
"Our negotiating team brought forward practical proposals that recognize economic realities while strengthening the university," said Maeve Dion, Chief Negotiator for AAUP-UNH. "Faculty have endured years of inflation and rising costs, paired with shrinking university support staff and increased workload. They deserve a contract that respects faculty work and supports the excellent teaching, research, and mentoring that nurture students and contribute meaningfully to the state of New Hampshire."
The union argues that faculty compensation and working conditions have become increasingly important as UNH experiences significant turnover among tenure-track faculty. According to AAUP-UNH, the tenure-track faculty body is expected to lose 67 colleagues between May 2026 and May 2027, at which point the bargaining unit will have approximately 30 percent fewer members than it did a decade ago.
"Faculty are the heart of the student experience," said AAUP-UNH President Julia Rodriguez. "When the university asks fewer faculty members to do more work while offering compensation that does not keep pace with costs, it puts educational quality, student support, and the institution's future at risk."
AAUP-UNH leaders also expressed frustration with what they describe as repeated delays in responding to union proposals. The union notes that administration representatives expressed interest in faculty proposals on retirement incentives and salary-based health insurance contributions but have not yet presented formal counterproposals. For one such proposal introduced in May 2025, the administration conceded it had only begun seriously studying the proposal this spring and indicated that they will not have their analysis completed and ready for the negotiating table until 2027.
Such delayed attention to proposals and the substantive distance remaining between the parties on economic matters led to the decision to declare impasse. AAUP-UNH and the university administration will now participate in mediation through the New Hampshire Public Employee Labor Relations Board. If mediation does not produce an agreement, the process may advance to fact-finding. The union says it remains committed to reaching a fair contract that supports both faculty and the university community.
AAUP-UNH, a chapter of the American Association of University Professors, advocates for fair working conditions, academic freedom, shared governance, and high-quality public higher education at the University of New Hampshire. The chapter works to ensure that faculty have the resources and support necessary to provide outstanding teaching, research, and service to students and the people of New Hampshire.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP), with more than 44,000 members and 500 local chapters, champions academic freedom, advances shared governance, and organizes to promote economic security for academic professionals. Since 1915, the AAUP has helped shape American higher education through standards and practices that support educational quality and professional integrity.
