Articles by newsletter

Our last bargaining session of the term is Thursday, June 13, 12:30-3:30 in Chiles 125 (and via Zoom). We need a big turnout to help us avert a strike.  This will be our tenth session and we continue to make good progress on many of our non-economic proposals (currently 7 articles have been tentatively agreed upon and a few more are almost there). However, the administration’s refusal to make significant movement on our economic provisions does not bode well for the future. We will present our counter to Article 26 (Salary) on Thursday and want to engage the administration on…

Strike? If you have been following bargaining, you know that we are likely headed towards a strike. While we have made progress on many non-economic articles, the administration is steadfast in their refusal to offer raises remotely close to what is necessary to address inflation and maintain parity with our AAU comparators.A strike cannot happen overnight; there are legally imposed timelines, and a number of additional bargaining sessions required before we get to that point (think mid-Fall at the earliest). There also will not be a strike without a vote of the UA membership. If we strike, this will be…

Strike Next Year? While we are making good progress on non-economic articles at the bargaining table, the administration has made only minor movements towards our salary needs. Soon we will send another message about the very real possibility of a strike next academic year. Many steps must be taken before such an action can happen, but the raises on offer from the administration are nowhere near enough to fight inflation and keep us up with our peers. Keep an eye on your inbox for more messaging around potential strike preparations, and what United Academics members will need to do to…

Come celebrate the academic year with your UA friends, old and new!On Thursday, May 30, we’re having our annual Spring Picnic from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Alton Baker Park Shelter #2. Bring your family out for a day in the park and celebrate with colleagues, some food, and some fun. The details:When: Thursday, May 30, from 4 to 7 pmWhere: Alton Baker Park Shelter #2What to bring: You, family members, colleagues, and friendly dogs!We’ll provide snacks, beverages (alcoholic and non-), and a few lawn games. So, mark your calendars for the United Academics Spring Picnic! We look forward to seeing…

Bargaining update for May 16, 2024 Your bargaining team met with the administration last Thursday and presented several counters (Articles 4, 9, 11, 12, 16, and Distinguished Teaching Professor) as did the administration (Articles 6, 13, 15, and 26).  Please see our bargaining webpage to examine the details of each proposal.We are excited to be making good progress on a number of important issues, including grievance and review processes.  We have also managed to derail the administration’s attempt to claw back important provisions related to joint labor management (union releases and information requests) and the ability to refuse scab labor. …

Bargaining update for May 2 The administration has been slow to respond to our salary proposal, but we hope to see their response on Thursday. Come to bargaining from 12:45-3:30 in Chiles 125 (or Zoom) and help support your bargaining team. As a reminder to members, our salary proposal is based on an economic analysis of faculty salaries, comparator institutions and economic data about inflation; our bargaining strategy is not to bicker back and forth until we meet in the middle, but to say “this is what we the faculty need to be excellent” and to stand by that proposal. In…

Know Your Rights as Faculty: Protest, Free Speech, and Academic Freedom Over the last few weeks, we have seen a wave of student protests on campuses across the country against U.S. support for the war on Gaza. Many faculty at these universities have acted in solidarity with student protesters, either through public speaking, addressing the topic in their classes, signing petitions, contributing resources to encampments, joining the camps, interposing themselves between police and students, and in a few cases being arrested with students when camps have been swept by police. Increasingly, these protest encampments are being met with a militarized…

In light of the protests nationwide and at UO, the Executive Council of United Academics of the University of Oregon endorses the following statement by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). UA is affiliated with both the AAUP and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). UA will be issuing further information for faculty regarding their rights in the next several days; please contact us if you have questions about academic freedom or your rights regarding the campus protests. The AAUP and its chapters defend the right to free speech and peaceful protest on university campuses, condemn the militarized response by…

Unit Policy Process and Timeline Over recent months, units across campus have worked to craft and approve policies for Professional Responsibilities and the Peer Review of Teaching. Faculty have been invited and encouraged by the administration to engage in this revision process, and have done so thoughtfully and in good faith. The current step in the process is for the respective deans or vice presidents to review these policies and decide whether to make any changes before forwarding their versions (if changed), along with the faculty-approved policies, to the Office of the Provost by June 15.  Final approval by the…

The United Academics bargaining team had another productive session at the table last Thursday.  Your team presented its salary counter with some very minor movement on United Academic’s part.  The administration had proposed three years of merit raises of 3 percent each year, which would exclude hundreds of our bargaining unit members from raises over the course of the contract.  In addition to merit raises, we reasserted our language with across-the-board and equity raises, and proposed a total of 9.18% increases every year through a combination of these approaches.  With this increase, faculty salaries, which currently sit at 84% of…