Articles by newsletter

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…

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…

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…

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…

Executive Summary: The College of Arts and Sciences has issued guidance for unit merit policies that would require faculty to meet expectations in each of their areas of responsibility in order to be eligible for any merit raise at all. Such a requirement would be in conflict with the language and intent of Section 3b of Article 26 of the collective bargaining agreement. More importantly, pushing such a policy could backfire, encouraging units to adopt lower standards for teaching, service, and research than they might absent this guidance—especially in light of the unprecedented disruptions to every domain of our work over…

The faculty union’s Executive Committee urges our members to vote against the Administration’s proposal to eliminate the longstanding and popular Tenure Reduction Plan (TRP). Please vote No for your colleagues if not for yourself. The gist is that the Administration wants to take away the tenured faculty’s current guarantee of a year-and-a-half post-retirement income in exchange for a small increase in retirement benefits for PERS retirees and almost no increase for ORP retirees. The Administration made its proposal to end the tenured faculty’s TRP, which has been in place for at least 30 years, two days before the end of last…

We have elections for five officer and all representative positions this year, with nominations due by March 22, 2023. All members in good standing* are eligible to serve as officers or representatives and nominate other members in good standing. Self-nominations are also permitted. If you’re interested in running, our current board members are happy to talk to you and answer your questions. As always, you can contact UA staff with any questions at [email protected]. Open positions: Five Executive Council and all Representative Assembly positions are open. The Executive Council (EC) is the primary leadership body of United Academics, focusing on initiating,…

Paid Leave Oregon Goes Live This Year! In 2019, Oregon legislators passed a bill to create a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program (HB 2005). That program, now known as Paid Leave Oregon, goes live this year. Paid Leave Oregon provides up to 12 weeks of paid parental, medical (for one’s own or a family member’s serious illness), and safe leave (for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, or stalking). Eligibility is expansive and includes all Oregon workers who earned $1,000 in the previous year – thus providing paid leave to thousands of workers who previously had none,…

Greetings, colleagues, We have an important AFT-Oregon announcement and a few updates. AFT-Oregon Referendum Vote Over the next few weeks, United Academics’ members will receive postcard ballots from AFT Oregon, one of our state affiliates, to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment allowing for hybrid AFT-Oregon conventions. The UA Executive Council encourages you to vote in support of the referendum. Geographic distance and the costs of travel and lodging have long been significant barriers to participating in conventions for too many locals and their representatives. Hybrid modality will ensure a more inclusive, accessible, and transparent convention for all the members…