Bargaining Session 4 Update (04.30.19)

Published by Communications Committee on

The UAOSU Bargaining Team and the Administration Bargaining Team met on Tuesday, April 30 for the 4th bargaining session. Over the course of the four-hour session, thirty-nine faculty members packed the small room arranged by the administration.

We introduced three new articles: notice of appointment, position descriptions, and annual review.  These articles work together to ensure that faculty receive greater job stability and have more transparent access to promotion and merit pay increases. These articles propose solutions to some of the top concerns shared by faculty.

The Administration Bargaining Team asked no questions and made no comments in response.  This lack of engagement came as a surprise after last Saturday’s session, where the Administration Bargaining Team had begun to ask questions and actively discuss our proposals. Through our efforts at the bargaining table, UAOSU remains committed to proposing reasonable solutions to the problems affecting Oregon State University. These issues cannot be resolved without productive conversations between our union and the Administration Bargaining Team.

Given the importance of these articles, our team called a caucus to discuss strategies for increasing the Administration’s engagement.  After our caucus, we provided additional context to help the University Administration Bargaining Team see how these proposals reflect the priorities of faculty. Each member of our team contributed specific examples  from the UAOSU survey, our office visits with faculty, and our own experiences.

Our team also returned  two counterproposals to the Administration Bargaining Team: personnel files and separability (“savings”).

The Administration Bargaining Team then proceeded by presenting an extended budget overview, similar to those offered across campus in recent months.

To date, our Bargaining Team has presented 30 articles that can be seen here.

The next bargaining session is Monday, May 6 from 12pm–5pm in the International Living-Learning Center 353. We plan to present articles on retrenchment  and more. The Administration has indicated that they will bring responses to some of our proposals and has assured us that they will find a larger room.

We appreciate your support. You can find a full calendar of Spring Term bargaining sessions on our website.

In solidarity,

Your bargaining team

Proposals Exchanged 04.30.19

UAOSU Proposals 04.30.19

No Administration Proposals

Get Involved

To support your bargaining team in negotiating the strongest possible contract, be sure to:

1. Join UAOSU. If you aren’t sure that you’ve signed a membership card (note: this is separate from the authorization card you signed last academic year), be sure to join today by completing an online membership card.

2. Attend a bargaining session. As noted above, joining us in the bargaining room is the best way to support your bargaining team. Your presence demonstrates strength and solidarity, and it allows us to work through proposals with a broader group of faculty. RSVP for upcoming sessions you’ll be able to attend! We’ll confirm locations with you as soon as we have them.

3. Show your support. Hang a poster in support of bargaining on your office or lab door. You can print a sign here, or request a glossy poster be delivered to you by responding to this message.

4. Contact your legislator. Because of Representative Rayfield’s position on the Ways & Means Committee, Corvallis’ representative plays an especially prominent role in setting public university funding levels. Without a significant push from educators, parents, and other Oregonians invested in our education system, we can expect serious underfunding of our universities and the tuition increases and budget cuts that follow. Please call (503-986-1416) or email (rep.danrayfield@oregonlegislature.gov) to ask that Representative Rayfield advocate for funding the Public University Support Fund with at least an additional $120 million for public universities above the basic current service level.

Categories: bargaining