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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…

Hello UA Members, Many of you are experiencing on-going work-life challenges due to shortages and affordability of childcare and early education afterschool care. Please see this message below from the Co-Directors of Lane County’s Early Learning and Parenting Education Hubs. They are conducting a survey to assess the needs and shortcomings for caregivers of young and school-aged children. Dear Parents & Caregivers, The Lane Early Learning Alliance is interested in hearing from you about your wants and needs are when it comes to child care and preschool for your child(ren). We will use this information to expand access to child care…

Greetings colleagues, One of the key pieces of bargaining the two parties left for resolution after bargaining was the administration’s proposed changes to Article 31 (Tenure Reduction Plan). This message seeks to: (1) clarify the proposal under consideration, (2) foreground the eventual ratification vote and its effects, (3) elicit feedback on your preferences and values in a brief survey, and (4) invite you to informational sessions to discuss specific questions and concerns in real time. Background At the close of our negotiations last June, the administration presented a new proposal to change the Tenure Reduction Program. Because we received this new proposal…

Greetings, colleagues. I’ll be direct. This is a call to action. We find ourselves during this academic year in a pivotal moment for shared governance at the University of Oregon. To the degree we rise to meet it, we have an opportunity to shape our units, our jobs, and our institution for the better. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) ratified in July left several key issues to an appendix of implementation agreements to be worked out over the following months and beyond, including caregiving supports; proposed changes to the Tenure Reduction Program (TRP); the role of service in our work;…

Dear UA Members, We worked hard in bargaining to get administration to acknowledge and offer institutional support for faculty caregivers. We were successful in pushing them to recognize their necessary role in making needed infrastructure a reality. As way of reminder, Article 34 “Caregiving”: Established a $500,000 Childcare Community Partnership Investment Fund to address local shortage of care providers Created annual $100,000 Travel Support Fund to offset work-related caregiving costs Purchased an institutional membership to care.com, so bargaining unit faculty members can have membership access to care.com to support individual caregiving needs. We know that many of you have questions…