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As we approach the end of the academic year and in an effort to finish negotiations in the coming weeks, we’ve stepped up the pace of bargaining. We had two sessions last week – Wednesday 5/18 and Friday 5/20. Your UA bargaining team presented counterproposals on Articles 11 (Release Time), 15 (Academic Classification and Rank), 16 (Notices of Appointment), 19 (Career Faculty Review and Promotion), 27 (Public Employee Benefits), 28 (Miscellaneous Benefits), 30 (Benefits for Eligible Retired Faculty), and 32 (Leaves). The administration team did not bring any proposals last week, but provided a Caregiving Concepts document that outlined their thinking in…

A Message from UA’s Incoming President Greetings, my excellent friends. With the upcoming departure of Avinnash, I have been asked by the Executive Council to serve in his stead as Interim President of UAUO until our next regular election of officers in Spring 2023. It is a position I take on with a healthy respect and warranted trepidation. It doesn’t seem possible to match the passion, the heart, or the power of my predecessors. We are a diverse bargaining unit of over 1700 working in a multitude of roles across multiple campuses; I am acutely aware that I don’t have…

Wednesday, May 18 3:00 – 5:00pm Friday, May 20 9:00-noon Wednesday, May 25 noon – 2:00pm Wednesday, June 1 noon – 2:00pm Friday, June 3 9:00-noon

In our last bargaining session on Friday, 5/6, the administration team presented most of their remaining financial proposals. This included counterproposals on Articles 11 (Release Time), 15 (Academic Classification and Rank), 16 (Notices of Appointment), 26 (Salary), and 32 (Leaves), and an unexpected proposal to eliminate Article 31 (Tenure Reduction Program). We have yet to receive a response to our Caregiving Article. Given the importance of these proposals and the necessary discussion at the table, your UA team did not present any proposals this week. Discussion began with the administration’s proposed Article 26 (Salary). Section 1 of the Article, as…

Bargaining Next bargaining session is this Friday, May 6 from 9am-noon via Zoom, followed by a debrief and social hour from 3-5pm at Falling Sky Pub at 1334 Oak Alley. We expect to receive the remainder of the administration’s financial proposals, so please log in to support your team and hear just how much your and your colleagues’ work is valued by UO administration. United Academics Outstanding Contributions Awards Nomination deadlines extend to Friday, May 6 United Academics has established awards for outstanding contributions to the university community. Details of each award can be found on UA’s newsletter. Please consider nominating a…

Last Friday, the UA bargaining and UO administration teams returned to the virtual table. We received the administration’s first financial proposals, but unfortunately ran short on time so didn’t get through everything on the agenda. Your UA team presented counterproposals on Articles 11 (Release Time), 12 (Facilities and Support), 15 (Academic Classification and Rank), 16 (Notices of Appointment), and 29 (Retirement Benefits). We also offered our initial proposal on Article 32 (Leaves). The administration team presented counterproposals on Articles 17 (Assignment of Professional Responsibilities) and 19 (NTTF Review and Promotion). While we didn’t get the chance to discuss them at…

Textbook Reporting We have been hearing some concerns about textbook reporting. Please contact UA at [email protected] if you have concerns surrounding having your course materials public. Interim President Call The role of interim president of UAUO is open! We invite members to express their interest in that position or other ways of participating more in your union. One or more members of the current Executive Committee will be happy to meet with anyone interested (or even just possibly interested, thinking about becoming interested, and so on) to help you learn more about the position and other ways to be involved. If you…

A message from the Chair of Grievance and Contract Administration I hope that people have been tuning into bargaining sessions over the last few months as there are proposals that will directly affect many aspects of our working conditions. While the negotiations have occupied a significant part of our time and energies, we have also been able to advocate for faculty in a variety of ways not related to our new CBA, and we wanted to take the opportunity to remind you that you can reach out to us with any issue, great or small. In addition to having informal conversations with…

Workspace Temperature Issues We are in the process of negotiating CBA language to address the situation of problematic temperatures (excessive heat or cold) in classrooms, labs, offices, and other workspaces. The administration team has asked us to provide examples of rooms where temperature issues have been reported but not remedied. If you have experienced this situation, please complete this short form. The data collected by early next week will be included in UA’s report to the administration. Contingent Faculty Survey Our affiliate, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), is seeking input from contingent faculty on their current work and personal life experiences….

In our first session of Spring term, your UA team presented counter proposals on Articles 20 (Tenure Review and Promotion) and 21 (Review Decision Appeals). The administration team presented counter proposals on Articles 12 (Facilities and Support), 15 (Academic Classification and Rank), and 16 (Notices of Appointment), and initial proposals on Articles 23 (Arbitration) and 29 (Retirement Benefits). Administration Proposals We kicked off the session with a brief return to Facilities and Support (Art. 12). We are close to agreement on this Article, with the remaining issue being faculty concerns around extreme temperatures in classrooms, labs, offices, and other workspaces….