UConn professors try to limit class size, labor board strikes it down

Unionized professors at the University of Connecticut attempted to limit class sizes under their collective bargaining contract, arguing that class enrollment is a subject of collective bargaining rights, but the Connecticut Board of Labor Relations sided with the university , saying that course enrollment alone is not subject to their union contract.

The UConn chapter of the American Association of University Professors (UConn-AAUP) argued that professors’ workloads were increasing in 2021 with more student course enrollments, impacting their other non-teaching responsibilities such as research and serving on committees.

During contract negotiations in 2022, the union sought to reduce the cap on class size to pre-pandemic levels and make any increase to the cap over 10 percent a subject of mandatory collective bargaining. The university objected, however, saying course enrollment is not part of contract negotiations and is a matter of academic policy.

UConn is the only public university in Connecticut that has seen enrollment numbers rise in recent years, and university employees, including professors, were recently awarded raises under the latest wage agreement between the state and the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC).

Associate Professor Swapna Gokhale, who was paid nearly $135,000 in 2023, testified on behalf of the union saying that since the pandemic she has been required to interact more often with the students who expect prompt email responses and interactions across multiple social media platforms.

“According to Gokhale, in light of these heightened expectations, increased enrollment has required her in recent years to spend more time interacting with students at the expense of her research and service duties,” the labor board decision says. “In addition, Gokhale testified that more students mean more student requests for accommodations which take up more of her time.”

The board, however, did not find Gokhale’s testimony compelling when it was determined she had the ability to limit which platforms on which students could contact her, that the Center for Students with Disabilities manages accommodations, and that she has assistants who can help direct students to the center.

The university also argued that professors with larger class sizes can reduce their workload “by course design and new grading technology,” and that the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning can allocate additional resources for professors with high course enrollment.

“We find that the balance tips in favor of the University’s need for unilateral action to serve or preserve an important policy decision committed to its Board of Trustees; namely advancing the goals of higher education in the state, including enrollment opportunities in colleges and universities,” the labor board wrote. “In our view, the ability to unilaterally determine the number of seats offered in a course is essential to maximizing ‘access to key courses,’ which, consistent with the goals articulated by the Legislature, permits the greatest number of students to progress towards their degrees in a timely manner.”

However, the labor board did leave the possibility of future negotiations over course enrollment open in the future, noting that “workload” is the subject of UConn’s bargaining negotiations and that their decision doesn’t diminish the union’s right “to bargain substantial impacts of managerial decisions on conditions of employment.”

In a post to UConn-AAUP’s website , Executive Director Michael Bailey issued a response saying, “Department faculty can create and approve department documents that include accommodations for increases in course enrollments,” and that they will seek to improve protections and accommodations for enrollment increases in the next round of negotiations starting this fall.

A recent analysis of Connecticut college enrollment by the Office of Legislative Research found that enrollment in Connecticut’s state universities and community colleges dropped by 22 percent between 2019 and 2023, while enrollment at UConn increased by 2.2 percent.

Higher education funding was at the forefront of budget negotiations during the latest legislative session, with universities, community colleges, and UConn facing deficits as American Rescue Plan dollars dried up and SEBAC wage agreements increased labor costs, leading to higher tuition rates and staffing cuts.

UConn was ultimately given an increase in its appropriation from $11.1 million in 2025 to $68.9 million.

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