Bargaining Session 5 Update (05.06.19)
Our UAOSU bargaining team and the Administration’s bargaining team met on Monday, May 6 for our fifth bargaining session. Over the course of the five-hour session, 33 faculty members joined us to observe the proceedings.
We presented a new article on Retrenchment, bringing our total number of proposed articles to 31. The administration team offered counter-proposals to our Totality of Agreement, Personnel Files, and No Strike, No Lockout proposals. They described their counter on Totality of Agreement and No Strike, No Lockout counter proposals as syntheses of our proposals and theirs, referring to them as being essentially “new” proposals. Regrettably their syntheses eliminated important language in both articles. In Totality of Agreement, they removed language referring to expedited bargaining, prompting a familiar discussion about the purposes that a collective bargaining agreement should fulfill.
The administration team further staked out their position: to them, language that explicitly delineates any rights enumerated in federal or state law will inexplicably cause our collective bargaining agreement to conflict with the law. The administration’s position was further exemplified by their counter-proposal on Personnel Files which consisted of a mere two sentences stating that the administration would abide by OSU policy and state and federal law (see link to their proposals below). In contrast, our bargaining team believes that specificity is precisely what is required to create a collective bargaining agreement that clearly delineates, defines, and enshrines the rights of our bargaining unit faculty for the years to come.
To reiterate and further clarify our position, our team returned from caucus with the collective bargaining agreements of other Oregon universities, including those of UO, PSU, EOU, SOU, and WOU which closely mirror our proposed language. We also explained that our bargaining unit members have expressed concern about access to personnel files.
The session concluded with a renewed reflection of our progress over the past five sessions, with both teams expressing a commitment to finding a way to move forward.
The next bargaining sessions are 10am–12pm on Thursday, May 16 in the International Living-Learning Center 353 and 9am–5pm on Saturday, May 18 (location TBD). On May 16, we plan to offer proposals on research support and intellectual property. On May 18, we plan to offer proposals on compensation and a process for resolving instances of harassment and discrimination.
We appreciate your support. You can find a full calendar of Spring Term bargaining sessions on our website.
In solidarity,
Proposals Exchanged on May 6:
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.