Tl;dr: Your bargaining team met with the administration’s team and the state mediator on Friday, January 24th for a 10-hour session. We made progress on non-economic issues, but we must still prepare for the possibility that we will be forced to strike. Therefore, we have three more contract actions this week to help build pressure for a fair contract. These actions include the launch of a UA strike pledge campaign, saving the date and inviting colleagues to the February 6th General Membership Meeting, and helping us reach our goal of 1,000 signatures on our community support letter!
CONTRACT ACTION HIGHLIGHTS: WEEK 4
It’s time to get serious about collective labor action. Help us build our collective bargaining power by taking the following actions this week:
#1 - Sign your strike pledge and talk to 2-3 colleagues about pledging to strike
Your colleagues at every level within your union are working to connect with each individual union member about the newly launched strike pledge campaign. We want to hear from UA members, answer questions, and help build solidarity to win the contract we deserve. Signing a strike pledge means that you will commit to strike if your union’s members collectively authorize a strike through a vote AND our bargaining team declares a strike to be necessary to reach a fair deal. Please note: a strike pledge is NOT the same as a strike authorization vote or the declaration of intent to strike. Having a majority of strike pledges signed will help us to show our power to the administration, and build trust in each other as we move toward a potential labor action.
Our best chance of averting a strike is to show the administration our overwhelming willingness to go on strike if they fail to bring us a fair contract. All bargaining unit members can sign strike pledges. We understand this information may be overwhelming, confusing, or you may have additional questions. You can find more information in our UA’s Bargaining & Strike FAQs and contact us at [email protected].
Want to learn more about our fight for a fair contract and why we are collecting strike pledges? Visit strengthenuo.org or uauoregon.org/bargaining.
If you work on campus/in Eugene, you can learn more and/or sign your strike pledge by…
- Connecting with your department’s representative, steward or another member of UA leadership
- Attending the General Membership Meeting (GMM) on Thursday, February 6 in Allen Hall 221 from 5-7pm
- Dropping by the Union Hall anytime from 10am-4pm, Monday-Thursday or by appointment (contact [email protected] to set an appointment)
- Attending in-person UA Office hours
- Wednesdays from 8:30-9:30am w/ Mike Urbancic, UA President in the EMU near the O information desk on the ground floor
- Thursdays from 12:30-2:00pm w/ UA staff in the EMU near the O information desk on the ground floor.
If you work remotely or are not based in the Eugene area, you can learn more and/or sign your strike pledge by…
- Attending virtual UA Office hours
- Attending the General Membership Meeting (GMM) on Thursday, February 6 from 5-7pm on Zoom
- Contacting [email protected]
#2 - Add our upcoming Feb 6th General Membership Meeting to your calendar and invite 2-3 colleagues to join you
Union members will come together as a whole to discuss bargaining priorities and overall strategy at the General Membership Meeting (GMM) on Thursday, February 6 in Allen Hall 221 from 5-7pm. It is very important that we have as many members attend the GMM (either in-person or on Zoom) as possible to hear updates from our bargaining team and information about the timeline we are working on and next steps to secure a fair contract.
Add our upcoming General Membership Meeting to your calendarand help spread the word by inviting 2-3 colleagues to join you on Thursday, February 6 in Allen Hall 221 from 5-7pm.
Please contact [email protected] if you need accommodations!
You can also find and share information about the GMM on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky
#3 - Help us reach our goal of 1,000 signatures on our community support letter
Help us reach our goal of getting 1,000 signatures on our community support letter by sharing information with your non-faculty coworkers (Officers of Administration, staff, GEs, student workers), students, alumni, friends, family, neighbors, and on social media! Showing that we have support from on and off campus community members helps strengthen our demands and fight for a fair contract. (bit.ly/uacommunitysupport and the community support letter -- socials graphic)
Share posts about the community support letter on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky
As a reminder, your participation in union activity, including signing a strike pledge, is legally protected. Retaliation against workers for protected union activity is against the law and should be reported to UA's grievances officer (Nathan Whalen) immediately. You should not speak with members of management about any of UA’s internal discussions concerning a strike. Your supervisor should not ask you about your personal participation in the union, or your intent to participate in a potential strike.