Impasse Declared! Next Steps.

Contributed By: newsletter February 18, 2025

TL;DR:  We declared impasse after the administration refused to move on their sub-inflation raise proposal.

We enter a new phase where we need engagement from all members to secure a fair contract. Things you can do:

  • Attend Strike School Tuesday 2/25 or Friday 2/28. (RSVP)
  • Attend the Virtual Town Hall on Thursday 2/20. (Zoom in)
  • Sign your strike pledge and talk to your colleagues about signing theirs.
  • Talk to and/or share information with your students about impasse and the impact of a strike.

IMPASSE DECLARED!

Today, your bargaining team declared impasse.

To explain this decision, it is worth reviewing how we got here. It has been more than a year since we began bargaining this contract. While we have resolved almost all of our non-economic issues, there has been very little movement from the Scholz/Moffitt administration on salary since their opening proposal. When United Academics began this process, we crafted a proposal that was grounded in data and provided faculty raises that would bring us up to the average of our AAU peers.

Over the past year, we have listened as the administration has repeated the same tired arguments over and over again. We made some adjustments to our proposals to take into account retirement benefits and to acknowledge the university’s funding concerns. In contrast, in over a year of public bargaining, the administration has failed to even acknowledge that salaries continue to fall behind our peers and the cost of living in Eugene.

Despite the fact that the university’s revenue has increased faster than inflation, and raises for top administrators have matched that growth, the Scholz/Moffitt administration has clearly decided that a fair contract for faculty is not a priority.  Our analysis shows that most faculty across campus have fallen behind inflation, in spite of earning promotion and merit raises.  This is economically untenable for individual faculty members and is evidence of irresponsible stewardship of the University’s resources.

We met with the administration on Thursday and again today.  We offered some ideas for a contract that we believe our members would support while still reducing the overall impact on the University’s finances. While we hoped to have a productive conversation, in the end the administration was not prepared to make an offer remotely close to what faculty need or could possibly agree to.

Thus, this stage of the process has come to an end.  Your bargaining team officially declared impasse at the end of today’s session.  Either side now has 7 days to put together their best, final offers, before the mandatory 30-day cooling off period begins.

We are going to continue to advocate for the needs of our members and our University. If advocacy is insufficient, action will be necessary. 

More than half of you have already signed a strike pledge, committing to strike if your bargaining team deems it necessary to achieve a fair contract and members vote to do so. That said, we want to understand where every member sits with respect to a potential strike. We need your help in doing so.

A Message for Students Regarding Impasse.

Feel free to adjust this to suit your and your students needs.

I want to take a moment to talk with you about something important that could impact your education in the coming months. Faculty at UO, including me, have been in contract negotiations with the university since last February. We entered state mediation near the start of winter term, but no agreement was reached. Now, an impasse has been declared—the next legal step toward a potential faculty strike. If no real progress is made, a strike could happen as soon as Week 1of spring term. If that happens, all faculty work—including emails, grading, class meetings, and office hours—will stop.
 
I don’t want to strike. I love teaching and working with students like you, and I’m doing everything I can to help UO avoid a strike and reach a fair contract. But if it comes to that, I need you to understand that this is about more than just faculty—it’s about protecting the quality of your education.
 
Since 2014, in-state tuition has increased by 37%, and out-of-state tuition is up 10%. Yet UO continues to deprioritize faculty. Adjusted for inflation, admin salaries are up 5.5%, but faculty salaries are down 5%. Other universities invest more in faculty, and some of our best instructors have already left or are planning to leave. When faculty are paid less, we face larger classes, heavier workloads, and less time to mentor and support students. We aren’t asking for some over-the-top raise, we are asking UO to cover inflation and at least give faculty what they’ve given administrators. Your UO faculty are the lowest paid in the Big Ten. About 28% of UO faculty make less than $50,000. Your tuition should be going toward keeping and hiring great people to teach you—not just administrative growth.

Here’s how you can stay informed and help faculty avoid a strike:

I know this might feel frustrating or uncertain, and I’m happy to talk if you have concerns. I encourage you to stay informed and engaged—because faculty working conditions are your learning conditions.
 
In solidarity,
[Your Name]