Dear colleagues,
As Spring Break progresses, you will likely see messaging about the two visions for our university. While the administration wants faculty to focus on the risks of striking, we must remember that our primary goal is to secure a fair contract in order to improve faculty wages and working conditions and to strengthen the academic mission of the university.
What are the risks of not securing a fair contract? Inflation would continue to chip away at faculty wages, our contributions would remain undervalued in the university’s mission, and the administration would feel emboldened to use the same tactics to cheapen faculty labor in future bargaining cycles. More faculty will look for employment elsewhere, faculty and students will suffer from larger classes, and the morale of both faculty and students will continue to suffer.
The only way we will win a fair contract is by standing together—as our greatest power and protection lies in our commitment to have each other’s backs.
You may have seen an email from Mark Schmelz with an update about the administration’s preparations for a possible UA strike, and you may have finished reading with questions and/or concerns. The email was designed to do that. The main point to remember is that our strike is a legally protected union activity; UA is doing everything in compliance with legal processes, in consultation with our state and national affiliates. The administration too has legal rights and there are a variety of actions they can take to attempt to counter our strike. We hope the administration will choose to settle a fair contract so we can avoid having to strike, and be flexible rather than taking a hard-line stance against our faculty.
It is important to recognize that the administration believes they're offering a fair contract. It is also true that striking is scary for both the employer and faculty on the picket lines. There will be great costs to the university if we strike, and the administration is reacting out of fear.
We continue to hope that we are able to reach an agreement that is fair for all faculty and supports the UO mission. We encourage you to reach out to your colleagues and remind them: we have power when we act together.
Your bargaining team continues to meet with the administration team, with several meetings scheduled this week. The UA Communications team continues to stay on top of the news and to keep you informed. Please check your email frequently and keep that feedback coming.
In solidarity,
The UA Executive Council