University of Oregon United Academics supports UO Student Workers’ unionization efforts and stands in solidarity with workers’ struggle to improve working conditions on campus. Additionally, UOUA condemns the ongoing anti-union and union busting behavior of the University of Oregon, including but not limited to:
- Threatening student workers’ jobs or rights to organize.
- Discouraging or banning discussion of UOSW’s unionization efforts during work time (when other non-work related discussions are permitted).
- Discouraging or banning students from card-signing in campus spaces and workplaces while off-the-clock.
- The removal of protected union posters and materials from work-neutral spaces.
- The discriminatory banning of union pins and apparel.
Finally, UOUA recognizes that any policies surrounding class announcements should not be enforced discriminatorily against UOSW’s unionization effort. It is an infringement of faculties’ academic freedom for higher administration to discriminate against, disallow, or discourage in-class student union announcements. Comparable announcements about petitions and issue campaigns, such as voter registration, are not disallowed by existing policy, and the ultimate decision on class announcements is, and should be, up to the discretion of individual faculty members.