As the semester comes to a close, the FAMCO Executive Team sends our hearty congratulations again to our members on our collective efforts this fall to secure a zero percent increase on our health insurance premiums for 2024!  This means that for the entire duration of the 2021-2024 collective labor agreement, we have been able to keep our healthcare costs stable for our members. That we have been able to keep our high healthcare costs stable in the context of a global health crisis, and in the face of historic levels of inflation, has made this work even more important. While there is much more to be done, we were also able to make headway in moving the needle toward correcting imbalances that have prevented a fair distribution of healthcare costs between the University and its employees.  

This fall’s healthcare rate agreement for 2024 did not come easy, however, and FAMCO made a major concession with the University on the addition of two new plans to the faculty benefits program. We conceded this significant change to help support our members’ overall health and wellness in 2024 as they manage, among other pressures, extraordinary cost of living increases that have not been matched by increases to faculty compensation.  

Going into the 2024 bargaining season, we look forward to continuing our negotiations with the University on issues that matter most to our faculty. We also expect that the University will be prepared to acknowledge the complete picture of what faculty continue to contribute to the success of Monmouth, including the full extent of the economic and workload challenges faculty have weathered over the past several years.

In the meantime, please mark your calendars for our next regularly-scheduled member meeting on Wednesday, January 17, from 2:45pm-4:15pm in Bey Hall Young Auditorium to help us kick off another great FAMCO year!  Happy Holidays to all and see you in 2024!