9.23.20 Covid Bargaining Update

Dear Colleagues,

The UAOSU bargaining team and the administration team met from 2:30-4 on Thursday, September 17 on Zoom to continue negotiations over the university’s re-opening plan for fall 2020.

Most of the session was dedicated to the administration’s counterproposal on our Memorandum of Understanding concerning faculty’s role in the enforcement of the university’s face covering and physical distancing policies in the classroom and other shared workspaces. Faculty have expressed serious concerns about the responsibility for enforcing these policies with few guidelines and resources at their disposal. We continue to believe that it is imperative that faculty not be subject to discipline if they have used their best judgement given the circumstances to protect themselves and their staff and students in line with the university policies. We also want to ensure that faculty are not required to call the Department of Public Safety (which might dispatch an armed Oregon State Police officer) in order to enforce these public health policies and thereby increase armed policing on our campus.

The administration team also asked a series of clarifying and substantive questions about our Memorandum of Understanding on Reviews, Promotion, Tenure, and the Use of Start-Up and Discretionary Funds.

The administration team has three additional proposals from United Academics in their hands on extended benefits and testing, childcare, and a sick leave bank that they have not yet responded to.

Although there is much more to be discussed with administration, our next session has not yet been scheduled. Please stay tuned for updates on scheduling. During the next session, our team anticipates returning the administration’s counterproposal on our MOU on enforcement and receiving the administration’s counterproposal on our proposal on Reviews, Promotion, Tenure, and the Use of Start-Up and Discretionary Funds.

We have won a significant concession from administration as reflected in our signed Memorandum of Understanding regarding OSU’s resumption of in-person work that was signed last week. We are optimistic that we will continue to protect the health and well-being of faculty and to improve working conditions through these negotiations.  

Attendance matters: please attend whatever portion of our bargaining sessions you can and show the administration that faculty care. We appreciate your support.

Upcoming Events

AFT-Oregon, one of our union affiliates, is hosting a series of online Zoom trainings for union members this fall. These trainings cover various leadership development topics such as steward training, bargaining changes, contract negotiations, membership recruitment and organizing with the addition of how to get these things done virtually. Subjects are covered at least 2 times. You must be a member to attend these trainings. Go here to register.

Over the next week we are holding two Zoom information sessions where you can learn about the offices up for election, how to nominate or run for those positions, and the election process and timeline. Below is the schedule with link to register.

Election Information Session #1 –Friday September 25, 10:00 – 11:00 am

Election Information Session #2 – Wednesday September 30, 3:00 – 4:00 pm

To join with us and become a member of UAOSU, click here.

In solidarity,

Your bargaining team