Kansas University and its graduate teaching assistants ended nearly two years of sometimes-contentious negotiations Wednesday by tentatively agreeing to a contract that will increase GTA salaries in the next three years.

Both sides said they were pleased with the pact, which will increase the amount KU spends on GTA salaries by 10 percent each of the next three years and for the first time sets minimum salaries for GTAs.

“The vast majority of things we wanted we got,” said Robert Vodicka, lead negotiator for the Graduate Teaching Assistants Coalition. “It’s taken a long time, but we got them.”

David Shulenburger, provost and executive vice chancellor, said the tuition increase that will take effect this fall allowed KU to offer higher salaries. KU will receive an additional $11 million per year in tuition money this fall, about $1 million of which will go to GTAs.

“It’s been a long process,” Shulenburger said. “Without the tuition increases, we wouldn’t be at this point. I’m just thrilled to death.”

KU currently spends about $10 million per year on salaries for the teaching assistants. The contract would increase that amount to about $13 million in three years.

The additional money will be given in the form of merit raises, which will be determined by officials in individual academic departments.

The contract also sets a minimum salary of $8,000 for the first year of the contract, followed by $9,000 and $10,000 the next two years.

According to KU, the average GTA salary in fall 2001 was $9,946 per year. Lynn Bretz, director of university relations, said KU hadn’t determined how many GTAs made less than $8,000 per year and would be bumped up to the minimum salary.

Wednesday’s salary offer was similar to one KU made in February, when the two sides met with a federal mediator after declaring an impasse in December. But the February offer included base salaries of $7,000, $7,700 and $8,400.

The coalition initially asked for a base salary of $14,000 when negotiations began in September 2000, but it later asked for $11,000, $12,000 and $13,000 over three years.

Wednesday’s offer “was unexpected because it was a lot more than anything they’d offered to this point,” Vodicka said.

The two sides already had agreed on seeking an increase in the level of state health care coverage from the Kansas Health Care Commission.

The contract now must be ratified by the Kansas Board of Regents and a majority of the approximately 200 coalition members. There are more than 900 GTAs at KU.

Vodicka, a GTA in the Western Civilization department, said the coalition planned a vote the week of Aug. 19. The regents would consider the contract Sept. 18.

Vodicka said the salary increase  in a year when faculty and staff aren’t receiving increases because of the tight state budget  was a sign that the GTA demonstrations and public campaigns had worked.

“The movement (by KU) didn’t come until after the actions,” he said.

Shulenburger said the timing of the contract had more to do with not knowing how much money the university would receive from the state and tuition.

“The difficulty was the enormous budget uncertainty,” he said. “I don’t know if we could have done things much different.”