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[Update: This summer, we sent an email to members of United Academics regarding our intent to enter into negotiations with UO administration. Below is an overview of were we are currently in that process.] Late last week, we were able to reach a tentative agreement with the administration for a two-year extension to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. We will be holding a ratification vote later this month. The agreement will only be finalized upon approval of a majority of voting members. This email contains a short summary of the agreement, followed by a longer explanation and a link to the…

The Department of Romance Languages opposes in the strongest terms the rescission of the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. We unequivocally and vehemently reject this new policy decision as a violation of human rights and affirm the right of all students to a safe, respectful, and inclusive working and learning environment in Romance Languages. We recognize that this policy decision may have a deeply traumatizing effect on many members of our community and their families, regardless of immigration status. We are especially committed to supporting our students who may be affected directly or indirectly by this policy decision. 

Dear Colleagues and Members of United Academics: I trust that many of you can attest to the mix of challenges and achievements across our campus and our union this last academic year. In state politics, we began the academic year optimistically with the potential to stabilize Oregon’s treasury with a corporate tax. By November, large corporations spent tens of millions of dollars to defeat the corporate tax in Measure 97; the result was a stinging defeat capped by other electoral woes. With one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the country, Oregon faces another state budget shortfall of $1.4…

As the Spring term was coming to a close, I had a conversation with President Schill about the possibility of extending our current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) by a year or two. The central idea was that we would come to an agreement about a new raise package for those years and leave the rest of the CBA in place until we could bargain a full Agreement. I talked this idea over with our Executive Council and we all agreed it made sense to explore this idea with the UO administration. There were several factors that contributed to our thinking,…

The Oregon Senate passed legislation ensuring that all of Oregon’s public university faculty will have the right to join a union, if they so choose. By adopting House Bill 3170 on a 17 to 13 vote, the Senate joins the Oregon House in approving the bipartisan legislation. After a concurrence vote in the House, the bill will move to the Governor’s desk for her signature. While most public university faculty in Oregon have long enjoyed the right to unionize, since the 1990s an amended Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act has prevented faculty with supervisory duties from joining unions. With the…