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United Academics, as an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), enjoys a voice in the deliberations within our national union. AFT-Oregon’s Executive Council and annual conventions are the primary vehicles for this engagement. I am delighted to report that our five elected UA delegates actively participated in this important exercise of union democracy. Last weekend, we joined with AFT-affiliated unions from across the state (including our local cousins at the GTFF) to shuffle through 2+ days of business and decision-making. Dozens of resolutions, elections, and internal policy changes moved our union in fresh and positive directions. I must…

We urge you to join United Academics at the March for Science in Eugene this Saturday, April 22 (Earth Day)… and bring your family, friends, and colleagues.  Look for the United Academics banner and come march with us! Location: University of Oregon Memorial Quad Day and Time: Saturday April 22nd, Noon, march at 1. What’s Happening: Local DJ Shawn Kahl and singer Halie Loren join our speakers- Sarah Chylek, science teacher at North Eugene High School, Professor (and United Academics Representative) Jeffrey Cina from the University of Oregon, Professor Paul Ruscher, Dean of Science from Lane Community College and Representative…

The only two certainties in Oregon life are death and PERS “reform”.  This year’s legislative session is no exception, with two Senate bills still in play, and due for a work session on April 17th.  Although at this point these particular bills seem to be headed for failure, State employees shouldn’t be complacent – as the legislative session winds down to a close over the next couple of months, lots of horse-trading will take place to get a budget adopted, and throwing pensioners under the bus is always a good way to attract Republican support for whatever deal you want…

In his Open Mike message on April 12, President Schill attempted to express his appreciation for the non-tenure-track faculty at UO. His message followed on the heels of an unfortunate statement about NTTF in the Daily Emerald earlier in the week. Unfortunately, in both statements he revealed that he does not fully understand what NTTF do on our campus, how long they have worked here, how hard they work, and how essential they are to the research and instructional mission of the university. Naturally, many of our members are demoralized and frustrated by both of his statements. United Academics is likewise upset with…

A fair and equitable wage for all is a fundamental principle of our union, and we reaffirm that principle in light of the gender discrimination lawsuit filed by our colleague Jennifer Freyd.

United Academics, in conjunction with the American Federation of Teachers, will sponsor one member to attend the March for Science in Washington, DC on April 22, 2017. Applicants should write a short statement (300 words or fewer) stating why they want to attend the DC march and how they plan to advocate for public funding of science research and scientists beyond the march in April. We will pay for your flight and a hotel for two nights.  To win, you must be a member of United Academics in good standing during the academic year 2016-7. All categories of faculty are…

The Elections Committee is happy to announce the results of that election, and to congratulate everyone who has volunteered to serve.

This is one way anti-Semitism works: depicting Jews as conspirators so devious that they leave no tracks and assigning to them blame for all of society’s ills, including those perpetrated against Jews themselves.

Over the course of the last few weeks, many faculty across campus are being informed of potential revisions to their unit’s Professional Responsibilities/Workload policies. In some cases, work that had previously earned a course release will no longer do so. In other cases, workloads may be “rebalanced” in order to increase course load at the expense of scholarship or service responsibilities. Our collective bargaining agreement has two mechanisms for revising workloads policies after they have been approved by the Provost. Faculty can suggest changes to the workload through their internal governance committees and/or faculty meetings. These changes would need to…

With a $1.8 billion state budget deficit, Oregon families are facing massive cuts to schools, health care, and the services they rely on daily.  We may see nearly 350,000 people lose their insurance through the Oregon health plan, and tens of thousands may lose access to their mental health and dental care. Thousands of seniors and people with disabilities will likely lose access to services that help them live independently and with dignity in their homes. And we will likely see funding for early education programs slashed. This is unacceptable so long as the world’s largest corporations pay the lowest corporate taxes in the entire nation. In the next few weeks, the Ways and Means committee will…