Members of the NMU-AAUP have voted 197-30 to support the most recent contract proposal. The ratification vote was held on November 8, with most of the participants voting by email. The proposal will now go to the NMU Board of Trustees. “Provided the Board of Trustees approves this agreement; we will return to pre-pandemic compensation levels. However, it is distressing that it took eight months of negotiations and mediation to achieve this,” said the union’s Chief Negotiator Lesley Putman. “We are thankful for the students, members of the community and other union members in Marquette County who expressed overwhelming support for the Northern Michigan University AAUP faculty in our struggle for a fair contract,” added Putman.

Negotiations began in March of 2021, and NMU faculty have been working without a contract since July 1, 2021.