Headlines

September 28, 2023

A new academic year together!

Greetings, my excellent colleagues! It is a delight to begin a new academic year together with you at the University of Oregon. Meeting our new university president, greeting newly arrived colleagues at new faculty orientation, helping new students move into dorms with Unpack the Quack, tabling at Friday night’s Flock Party at Hayward Field, and teaching my first class session of the year have been incredibly energizing and restorative. College is such a magical, transformative time in the lives of our students, and it’s wonderful to be a part of that. This year will have more than its share of…

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September 26, 2023

Pre-bargaining Listening Sessions

Dear Colleagues: As you may already know, we are entering a bargaining year for our union. To include your voices and ideas on issues that concern you, we are holding listening sessions every Friday at 9 am and 4 pm on Zoom. We are also happy to schedule in-person meetings with faculty in your department who may want to discuss matters together. Please reach out to your steward or Representative Assembly member if you would like to schedule a meeting for your department. If you do not have a steward or representative, feel free to reach out to me directly….

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August 25, 2023

Preparing for the possibility of a Graduate Employee strike

Dear Colleagues, As many of you know, the Office of the Provost is asking units to prepare for the possibility of a Graduate Employee (GE) strike as part of an “Academic Continuity Plan.” To help you with planning, this email provides some information concerning the expectations and obligations of faculty members should a strike occur. Our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) obliges faculty to consult with the University, if requested, concerning how work performed by a striking employee will be covered. However, nothing in the CBA requires faculty to cover for striking workers. Faculty are only required to consult on how…

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June 15, 2023

Academic Freedom Concerns

We’re concerned about academic freedom. Union members have identified a number of priorities for our upcoming round of bargaining starting next January. Issues of academic freedom are our second highest priority, trailing only salaries as the top concern. We’ve identified the need to remain vigilant to ensure that the growing national trend to undermine tenure protections, dictate suitable research and teaching topics, and pack governing boards with extremist political agendas does not happen here in Oregon. We’re aware of the threat in Oregon. No state is immune from the current political upheavals. Although Florida and Texas have made the most…

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May 19, 2023

Faculty Concerns Over Climate Survey Phase 2

Dear Interim President Moffitt and Interim Provost Woodruff-Borden, We, the United Academics Faculty of Color, Working Families, and Pride Caucuses, are writing to address the IDEAL climate survey and the steps taken in response to it. We are concerned with the approach taken to date, particularly with the messaging that the bulk of the work will fall to the faculty themselves, who, as noted in the survey, already feel overburdened. We believe some issues are crucial enough that they can’t wait. As you know, on June 4, 2022, faculty received our first communication addressing the results of the survey, which…

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April 27, 2023

United Academics Celebrates 10 Years of Salary Increases

This month, United Academics kicks off its celebration of ten years of being union strong! While we’re excited to celebrate the tenth anniversary of our first Collective Bargaining Agreement’s ratification in October 2023, we know there is still work to be done. In the last Collective Bargaining Agreement, we secured 10% raises over the three years of the contract. This included the first year’s across-the-board raise of 5%, a 2% across-the-board raise the following year, and a 3% merit pool to be distributed in January 2024. The ratification vote on our salary package passed with 95% of the vote in…

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April 26, 2023

UA Award Nominations Now Open!

United Academics Outstanding Contributions Awards Information United Academics has established awards for outstanding contributions to the university community. Please consider nominating a worthy colleague for one or more of these awards: Administration-Faculty Partnership Award – for UO administrators or department heads who demonstrate courage to stand for academic freedom and embrace the role of faculty in university governance. Outstanding Service and Contribution to United Academics – for United Academics members who have offered service to our union in multiple roles over many years. Strong Voice Award – for active United Academics members who have demonstrated sustained and committed activism on…

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April 25, 2023

Merit Policy Reminder

The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) states that units are to revise and submit their merit policies for approval by the end of the Spring 2023 term. Deans of colleges and schools may prepare and issue templates for merit policies to assist units during this process. Following that step,  “the faculty will first consider any input provided by the appropriate governance committee, department or unit head, dean, vice president, Provost, or designee” and faculty may amend policy suggestions from a dean and submit an amended policy for approval. The opportunity to devise policy that recognizes merit provides a vital touchpoint…

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April 20, 2023

Career Continuous Employment Reviews

One of our most exciting wins in the last round of bargaining was the creation of a new major review and raise for Career Instructional and Research Faculty. Until now, Career faculty had two opportunities for promotion (to Senior I and II), but nothing akin to Post-Tenure Review raises that full Professors are eligible for every six years. This change allows Career faculty who have reached the highest rank in their category (or who are in a single-rank category, such as Professor of Practice) and have appointments of at least 0.5 annualized FTE to undergo an optional Career Continuous Employment…

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April 5, 2023

Members voted in favor of maintaining TRP

Members of United Academics have spoken, and Article 31 Tenure Reduction Plan will remain in place. Of the faculty who voted, 96.52% voted to maintain the current system. The Administration proposed to end the tenured faculty’s TRP, which has been in place for at least 30 years, two days before the end of last year’s bargaining round. We anticipate that the Administration will again try to dismantle the TRP in the next round of bargaining. This decisive No vote against the Administration’s proposal will make it easier for us to bargain against their future attempts. Thank you from your colleagues on the Executive…

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Solidarity and Community Events

September 28, 2023

Holvey Recall

As many of you know, UFCW Local 555 has launched an effort to recall State Representative Paul Holvey. Holvey has represented District 8, which includes most of south Eugene, in the Oregon legislature for the past 18 years. We believe this recall effort is misguided. Representative Holvey’s record has been exemplary in support of workers, consumers, and small businesses. He is a former union carpenter with deep roots in the labor movement and has a solid track record of improving the lives of working Oregonians. He has consistently supported increased funding for education at all levels. This recall effort stems…

February 20, 2023

Solidarity with UA Student Workers

University of Oregon United Academics supports UO Student Workers’ unionization efforts and stands in solidarity with workers’ struggle to improve working conditions on campus. Additionally, UOUA condemns the ongoing anti-union and union busting behavior of the University of Oregon, including but not limited to: Threatening student workers’ jobs or rights to organize. Discouraging or banning discussion of UOSW’s unionization efforts during work time (when other non-work related discussions are permitted). Discouraging or banning students from card-signing in campus spaces and workplaces while off-the-clock. The removal of protected union posters and materials from work-neutral spaces. The discriminatory banning of union pins…

June 29, 2022

Balancing Work and Caregiving: A Best Practices Teach-In Summary

Throughout 2021-2022, United Academics and members from the CSWS Caregiver Campaign continued their collaborative efforts to push the University of Oregon administration to address issues of equity and inclusion for UO faculty struggling to balance the demands of caregiving while fulfilling their employment expectations. On April 27, we hosted a joint zoom teach-in with 43 attendees. The contents of this report lay out the scope of the issues but also provide hands-on practical strategies to address challenges that have existed long before the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a video recording of the Teach-In available on the CSWS website, as well…

September 13, 2021

COVID Planning: The Work Continues

Dear colleagues, Many of you have read the petition sent by CSWS recently to the Office of the Provost. UAUO fully agrees with the concerns Professors Escallón, McKinley, and Stephen articulated, and we are also in full support of their ask that “caregivers of unvaccinated children (children under 12) can continue to teach and attend meetings [remotely] at least until their family members receive the vaccine.” We’ve also heard from faculty whose health puts them at serious risk by being in-person, yet they cannot qualify for ADA accommodations. And for those of us who are able to come back to campus, we…

June 28, 2021

UAUO Protest Pollack-Pelzner Linfield University

Recently the President of Linfield University, Miles K. Davis, summarily fired Professor Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, a Shakespeare scholar who had held an endowed chair in the Department of English and had represented the faculty as a member of the Board of Trustees. According to the university administration, Pollack-Pelzner was terminated for reasons unrelated to his achievements as a teacher, researcher, or publishing scholar. Rather, the administration states that he was sacked because he had “engaged in conduct that is harmful to the university,” specifically that he had “violated instructions to preserve the attorney-client privilege” and that he had “circulated false statements…