Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to share a few important updates and reminders. Including:

• Registration for Our Little Village child care
• Bargaining Update
• Join us for the October 16th Board of Trustees meeting at 9am
• Nominations are open for UAOSU Officer and Representative Assembly positions

OUR LITTLE VILLAGE REGISTRATION

While the administration previously communicated plans for expanding Our Little Village (OLV) drop-off child care access to faculty, we had not seen a communication about the process and timeline for registration. We are sharing this timely information to be sure you are able to access this new benefit. Full details are available through the Family Resource Center.

OSU employees are eligible to utilize OLV drop-off child care at both the Milne and Dixon Recreation Center locations. OLV provides child care for children 5 months-12 years of age and adheres to all required state Early Learning Division COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines. Child care is restricted to cohort care (same children in the same room on the same days) in order to minimize risk of exposure. A payment installation plan is available.

OLV Milne

OLV Milne will be open October 19-December 11 and closed for Thanksgiving from November 26-29. Pre-registration closes Friday, October 16. You can find details for registering and cohort times here.

Pricing for Fall Term:

• MWF cohorts: $500 per child
• TR cohorts: $335 per child

OLV Dixon

OLV Milne will be open October 12-December 11 and closed for Thanksgiving from November 26-29. Pre-registration closed Friday, October 9. You can still register by emailing familyresources@oregonstate.edu and inquiring if there are available spaces. You can find cohort times here.

Pricing for Fall Term:

• MWF cohorts: $560 per child

• TR cohorts: $375 per child
• Saturday: $155 per child
• Sunday: $155 per child

BARGAINING UPDATE

The UAOSU bargaining team and the administration team met 1:30–2:30 on Thursday, October 8 on Zoom.

We are happy to report that we reached an agreement with the MOU on Faculty Enforcement of COVID-19 Related Policies, and that has been signed. Our MOU ensures that faculty taking reasonable steps to enforce OSU’s COVID-19 related policies will not be disciplined for either their attempts at enforcement or their inability to enforce the policies. While the administration refused to explicitly state faculty are notrequired to call public safety (which might dispatch an armed officer) to de-escalate situations, we are confident that not calling public safety (given the possibility of an armed response) is a perfectly reasonable action toward maintaining classroom safety and therefore protected by the broader language in our MOU. We were disappointed that the administration refused to provide resources for an unarmed response to aid faculty in situations that have escalated beyond their control. Our bargaining team made it clear that our union will continue to advocate for appropriate campus security and safety resources that do not involve an armed response. Our efforts will continue in collaboration with other efforts on campus including Disarm OSU.

A less productive conversation involved a preview of an email that since was released from Susan Capalbo. This communication from administration relates to our MOU the COVID-19 Impact on Reviews, Promotion, Tenure, and the Use of Start-Up and Discretionary Funds. Administration indicated the email communication addressed part of this MOU so would not respond but shared a counter that included revised content for only the Use of Start-Up and Discretionary Funds. Although the pandemic disproportionately affects women, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx faculty, administration continues to fall short in addressing these effects. In spite of numerous communications about OSU’s commitment to diversity and the value of Black lives, administration continues to balk on proposals that would ensure equity in annual reviews, promotion, and tenure of our bargaining unit members.

We are also frustrated that the administration’s team has not responded to our proposals on COVID-19 testing for faculty who return to in-person work, on sick-leave transfer, on resources for caregivers, and on expanded leave and health care benefits despite having had these proposals for many weeks. The administration must prioritize resolving these issues that are important to our faculty.

The next bargaining session is 1:30–2:30 on Thursday, October 22 on Zoom. Register here. We will respond to the counter on the Use of Start-Up and Discretionary Fundsand expect to come to an agreement. We also plan to present administration with an updated MOU on the COVID-19 Impact on Reviews, Promotion, Tenure. Even if you can only drop by for half an hour, your attendance matters: show the administration that faculty are watching this process.

JOIN US AT THE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16TH, BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

The Board of Trustees will meet over Zoom to discuss the university’s revised budget for the fiscal year, the president’s goals for the year, and the Advancing Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice: Annual Report. Join your colleagues and Zoom in to observe! We will present testimony on faculty priorities for the new year and the work of our Racial Justice Committee. Public comments begin at 9am; the revised budget and the Annual Report discussions are scheduled for later in the session. Connect via zoom.

In order to make our presence known, we are asking attendees to:

• Change their Zoom profile pictures to the Strength in Unity sign
• Change their Zoom name to add UAOSU at the beginning (for example, UAOSU Jane Doe)

Please find a tutorial on how to make these changes to your Zoom profile here.

NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN FOR FALL 2020 UAOSU ELECTIONS

The nomination period for all UAOSU officer and representative assembly positions opened on October 5th. Please check out our Nomination Guide for more information. If you have specific questions about the nomination process, or about the roles of union officers, please check out our election webpage, uaosu.org/elections, read our constitution and bylaws, or contact the UAOSU election committee directly at elections@uaosu.org. Ballots will be sent mailing addresses on file. If you need to update your contact info please email info@uaosu.org.

Our faculty union is more important now than ever before. Join us in working together to make OSU the best place possible for our students, the communities we serve, and for faculty.

We appreciate your support.

In solidarity,

Your bargaining team