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What we know about winter term reopening

Colleagues, Here’s what we know: Accommodations for faculty (health status, caregiving needs) remain the same as last term. The Academic Council meets today to potentially update classroom policies; we know that faculty can no longer remove masks under the public speaker exemption. Booster mandate details are forthcoming. There are conversations about our testing capabilities. Members of your Executive Council expressed your concerns about reopening to our bosses and we continue to do so. We are waiting to hear about the recommendations from the Academic Council and other updates from central administration, which should be forthcoming by week’s end if not…


Results of the salary increase MOU vote

Greetings Bargaining Unit Members, Nearly half of you voted on the Ratification of a three-year salary increase MOU between UA and UO administration. 95% of you voted yes. As noted previously, this MOU only affects a small portion of Article 26 in our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Other items, such as salary floors and promotion raises, have yet to be re-visited and bargained, as does the remainder of the CBA. Even though the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of the salary increases, some feel that this is not enough. Do know, your Executive Council, Bargaining Team, Economics Team, Representatives, and Stewards, all of whom…


Bargaining Update, Caucuses, and Egan Donations

Bargaining Update United Academics and the Administration are in the process of finalizing details of a raise package. A Memorandum of Understanding should be ready for review by the membership on Monday, December 6. We anticipate the ratification vote to occur Wednesday, December 8 through Friday, December 10. Stay tuned! Bargaining Schedule The second bargaining session of the term will be held on Friday, Dec. 10 from 9am to noon. Join us! Zoom in for the webinar format session here. COVID Concerns We’ve created a Google Form to help document some of the issues faculty have faced during the transition back to…


Share Fall Term Experiences and Concerns

United Academics knows that many of you are excited to be back to in-person, and will continue to advocate for members of our community who are concerned about returning to campus. If you have questions or concerns related to COVID-19, please do not hesitate to fill out the anonymous form found in this post or to contact us at [email protected]. Loading…


Bargaining update for November 19, 2021

Greetings Colleagues, Today, November 19th, United Academics (UA) and representatives for the University of Oregon administration (UO) came back to the bargaining table. I’ll briefly update you all on what we’ve accomplished today, as well as sketch out the sub-committee meetings I spoke briefly about at our Fall General Membership Meeting. UO presented some changes to three articles. Article 9, Union Rights, establishes UA’s ability to meet with bargaining unit members. No major points of contention here, as we’re trying to hone in on the details that allow us access to our members and clarify how access protocols across areas of…


Back at the virtual bargaining table!

We’re Bargaining a New CBA! Fall Schedule: United Academics will be hitting the virtual bargaining table for two sessions this term. Our first session will be this week Friday, Nov. 19 from 9:30 to 11:30am. The second session of the term will be held on Friday, Dec. 10 from 9am to noon. Mark your calendars! Zoom in for both webinar format sessions here. UA’s Bargaining Team plans to present a counter on Internal Governance and new proposals on Fringe Benefits, Hiring Information, and Home Campus. Winter Schedule: Beginning January, we will meet twice a month, likely in person (with either very large room…


Greetings from UA’s VP for Diversity and Equity

Hello UA members, I am the incoming United Academics Vice President for Diversity and Equity, and I am very excited to embark on projects and advocacy that can address political climate issues and structural inequities faculty face at the University of Oregon. I have been at the University of Oregon since 2000, and am a faculty member in the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies (IRES).  I am a trained sociologist, however my work is highly interdisciplinary. My first book examined the convergence of two Clinton era federal policies, welfare and immigration reform, and the immigrant mobilization that ensued…


The Ongoing Pandemic and Childcare

Dear all, We’ve heard from quite a few of you with questions and concerns about how reopening policies are being applied in your units, especially when it comes to teaching. We’re hoping the following information helps as you navigate through the rest of the term, though, as always, we are more than happy to hear from you individually. We can help you assess your situation and advocate accordingly with our colleagues in HR and OtP. I know there’s a much more pressing and specific variation on these concerns, and that’s the childcare situation on campus literally imploding this week, as…


Reopening update

This message contains important information for those with underlying health conditions, or family members with underlying health conditions; please read through to the end. A working group of UA Executive Council members have been meeting weekly with Executive Vice Provost Janet Woodruff-Borden and Chief Human Resource Officer Mark Schmelz to work through ongoing workplace and safety issues as the majority of faculty, staff, and students return to in-person business. As you may recall, we supported the CSWS petition to allow caregivers of children 12 and under, who cannot yet receive the vaccine, the option to teach remotely. Central administration will not honor this…


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…