BOSTON ― Northeastern University says it has forged its first labor contract with a union representing adjunct faculty.
The private school of 20,000 students announced on Thursday that it reached a tentative deal with the union more than a year after both sides began negotiating.
Union officials said the contract gives most adjunct faculty a raise of 12 percent or more over the next three years. The university said it will also give certain part-time workers access to health plans with a 50 percent contribution from the school. Strikes and pickets are prohibited under the contract.
Both sides reached a deal only days before the union was planning a work stoppage. The union, which says it makes up most of the Northeastern teaching staff, also represents adjuncts at several other Boston-area colleges.
