Earlier this week the Scholz administration sent a bargaining update stating that they remain “committed to a compelling total compensation structure that retains and recruits faculty in service of our shared mission” subject to the financial constraints faced by the institution, pointing to state disinvestment and a competitive market for students at our current tuition levels.
The truth is that the university is in a better financial position than it was a decade ago, and that faculty are in a worse position. State support has increased faster than inflation, tuition has increased faster than inflation, yet faculty salaries haven’t kept up. The administration continues to erode the percentage of Education & General funds that are dedicated to compensating faculty members engaged in the primary mission of the University.
The claim by the administration to be committed to compelling compensation of faculty is belied by their lack of movement at the bargaining table on salary and working conditions over our nine months of negotiations. One need not be an economist to see that the administration’s salary proposals amount to a reduction in pay in terms of our purchasing power. Their current offer for raises–unchanged in overall size since March–is guaranteed to render the UO even less competitive with its peers than it already is.
With respect to total compensation, if–as the administration claims–it were accurate that UO faculty are already competitively paid when benefits are included, this would mean that top administrators at the UO are currently paid 112% of the average of their peers. The truth is that the administration’s figure for our total compensation isn’t representative of reality for most UO faculty. Their analysis relies on assumptions that cast the cost of living for families in Eugene as lower than it really is. They also assume that the quality and accessibility of healthcare here is identical to that elsewhere – which is laughable to anyone who has tried to get a primary care appointment in the last year.
More urgently, our healthcare coverage doesn’t defray our increased cost of living. It doesn’t pay the mortgage, or rent, or groceries, or any of the other necessities whose prices have outpaced our pay.
UA leaders and the bargaining team have received feedback from hundreds of faculty across every college, school, unit, and department over the past few weeks. Your collective voice has been overwhelming: the administration’s current offer is nowhere near enough. Your bargaining team will continue to relay that feedback to the administration at the table.
The next bargaining session is from 12:30 to 3:30pm on Wednesday, November 13th at Chiles 125. Right before the session, at noon on Wednesday the 13th, we will hold a brief “Oregon Falling” rally at the steps of Johnson Hall. We will deliver the letter of support signed by our membership to President Scholz and then march down 13th Avenue to the bargaining session at Chiles 125 at 12:30pm.
What you can do:
- Come to the UA office at 603 East 13th Ave. from 11am to 3pm today(Friday, Nov 8) to help make signs and posters for next week’s rally.
- Come to our “Oregon Falling” Rally on Wednesday, November 13 at noon on the steps of Johnson Hall. The bigger the turnout, the louder we will make our voice heard!
- Join our Member Slack. This is a member message board where you can ask questions about our proposals, our economic analysis, or provide input on what you need to flourish. It is a space for members to join in solidarity, share ideas and support each other.
- Join the Contract Action Team. The CAT works to support the bargaining team by organizing actions, talking to members, and preparing for a potential strike. We will need all the help we can get if we have to go down the road of a strike.
- Become a steward for your department and help us ensure the members in your unit are informed and activated.
Reply to this email with any questions or requests.