After two years of bargaining, USF and its faculty union have reached a tentative agreement that is awaiting a final vote to take effect. ORACLE GRAPHIC/AUDREY KOCZANSKI

USF and its chapter of the United Faculty of Florida reached a tentative agreement on April 6 after two years of bargaining negotiations.

USF President Moez Limayem shared the news with faculty via email and during a faculty town hall the same day.

The university’s UFF chapter negotiates Collective Bargaining Agreements that define the terms and conditions for faculty employment at USF, according to UFF.

The new agreement is a tentative outline of a three-year CBA for faculty that includes multiple pay raises and promotion increases.

USF spokesperson Althea Johnson said that while the new agreement has been signed, it must still be ratified by both parties. If ratified, the new CBA would remain in effect until May 6, 2029. 

Ratification is an official approval of a legally binding act, according to the Legal Information Institute. The agreement will be ratified only if the faculty and the Board of Trustees vote in favor.

Around 20 USF faculty members are part of the UFF chapter, but the union represents all faculty employees. USF has over 16,000 faculty, according to USF’s 2025-26 Fact Book.

USF and UFF’s previous CBA expired in 2024, but it has continued to serve as a status quo contract while negotiations continue.

USF proposed a 3% pay increase in October 2024, which UFF rejected, stating it was insufficient to offset inflation.

Steve Lang, the president of USF’s UFF chapter, said there is no specified timeline for when the vote will take place. Still, he said the union is preparing to send ballot packets to all USF faculty members, who will vote on the agreement by May 8. 

Related: USF faculty report first major progress after 15 months of stalled contract talks

Lang has been a UFF member for almost 35 years, and said this bargaining process was “unusually long.” 

“Most of the salary articles that we proposed were rejected by USF,” he said. “The one we have now — the agreement we have now — is the best that we can get right now.”

The current tentative agreement sets aside a 2.5% pool for salary increases starting fall 2026, followed by an additional 2% in fall 2027, with the option to renegotiate pay for the 2028–29 year, according to USF.

On top of the salary increase pool, promotion raises — previously set at 9% — will increase to 12%, according to USF. Instructors can also receive an extra $3,000 for promotions that were not offered before.

Another addition under the agreement is a 12% raise for faculty who earn the title of Distinguished University Professors — awarded to senior professors who are peer-reviewed and nominated.

The agreement also gives deans more flexibility to increase or waive the summer cap on faculty pay, which is paid to faculty performing research on a grant or contract during the summer, according to USF.

“The agreement we have now is the best that we can get right now, or at least USF certainly says it is,” Lang said. “In our opinion, as a union, we’ve said this at meetings, USF is very risk-averse.” 

Lang said UFF would still like salaries to adjust for inflation, but that members are generally pleased with USF’s offer and agreement.

“We are glad that USF offered what they did,” Lang said.

Lang said Limayem’s town hall statement that recent salary increases were not enough for faculty and staff resonated with UFF members pushing for higher pay.

“We agree with the president, and for the most part, that salaries are a big issue,” he said. “I think that the new president, Limayem, is on target with that.”

Related: USF graduate assistants share financial struggles as union seeks higher pay

Gregory McColm, UFF’s secretary, said the new agreement has been a relief to everyone involved.

McColm added that while salaries are a point of disappointment, he believes further negotiations would not yield “noticeably better.”

“In the meantime, we probably, for our own protection, want to get this thing ratified and signed as soon as possible,” he said. “As far as bargaining is concerned, what happened is we have a very strong contract.”

McColm said UFF and the BOT had not reached any agreements on contract articles until talks about hiring Limayem as university president started in fall 2025.

“Most of the proposals came from the union,” he said. “But as I said, things really accelerated when president Limayem started to appear on the horizon.”

Lang said he feels that investing in faculty is important for everyone at the university, from administrators to students.

“We don’t want people to leave for better-paying jobs,” he said. “We like USF, we like our students, but you know, it is frustrating if you get much higher paying offers from other [Association of American Universities] schools.”