A Welcome From Your President
Labor Day has a long history in Oregon. We were the first state in the nation to celebrate it in 1887–even before there was a federal holiday. For almost 140 years, Oregonians have gathered to remember and honor the struggles and sacrifices workers have made to claim their rights and assert their dignity.
This Labor Day 2025 is momentous. In the past eight months, we have seen one of the largest roll backs of worker protections, along with drastic defunding of scientific research and public education by the federal government. All across the state, higher education workers facing layoffs and university leaders are discussing program eliminations or reductions. This is not just about jobs, but about the integrity of American colleges and universities as places of academic freedom and the freedoms of speech and inquiry.
We need Labor Day to remind us that many of the employment benefits that we take for granted are in place not because political leaders simply bestowed them upon us, but because American workers demanded and fought for them. If we are going to defend public higher education today, we need that same spirit and cooperation. Our new collective bargaining agreement gives us added protections, and we are looking forward to using our contract to safeguard faculty in these uncertain times.
As a union, we continue to build solid ties with other campus labor organizations, as well as state and federal allies, so that we can be prepared for more changes in the future. I hope this message calls to you to become involved in this growing momentum, either by becoming a member (uaosu.org/join) or joining our committees, such as Communications, Social Justice, Organizing, or one of interest-based caucuses, such as Labor Education, Queer Faculty, or BIPOC Faculty.
I hope we can take this Labor Day and the few weeks before classes start to reflect and refresh for the work ahead. Below are some actions you can take, as well as some upcoming events to put on your calendar. Let’s keep these proud Oregonian traditions going at OSU and honor the power of workers gathering together to make our communities stronger and healthier.
In solidarity,
Joseph Orosco
Workers Over Billionaires Rally
This upcoming Labor Day, our national affiliates, the AAUP and AFT, are encouraging all members to join the national actions to defend higher education and protect the future of democracy and worker power across sectors. In Corvallis, fellow union members and allies are organizing the Workers Over Billionaires rally taking place from 12pm to 3pm at the Benton County Courthouse (see here for more info). For our members outside of Corvallis, check out the AFT Action site to find a local action near you.
Save the Date - UAOSU Fall Picnic
Join your union on Sunday, October 5, from 1-4pm at the Thompson Shelter in Avery Park for our Fall Picnic! This is our annual event to reconnect with your fellow faculty members, share a meal, and learn more about what our union is up to and how you can get involved. Grilled protein (both meat and vegan) and drinks will be provided. We’ll share the RSVP form closer to the picnic date for folks to let us know their dietary restrictions, as well as sign up to bring sides and desserts. Hope to see you there!
Member Organizing Institute (MOI)
This fall your union will be participating in AFT-Oregon’s Member Organizer Institute (MOI), a paid training opportunity for those ready to take their union organizing skills to the next level and build our local for the future. The MOI is a 3 month intensive paid training program that teaches organizing skills through real-world experience with mentorship from AFT-OR and local leaders. The goal of the institute is to train union members to build power, grow our membership, engage current members in our union, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our local by having members trained to continue their organizing work and help develop other members after participating in the institute. The application deadline is September 8, 2025.
Contract Enforcement Update
We continue to engage with the administration on contract enforcement since the ratification of our new CBA in May. Two major issues have occupied our summer conversations.
First, several faculty who were not working during Fall ‘24 (but did work in Winter ‘25 or Spring ‘25 terms) were left completely out of the one-time, pro-rated $2500 payment that was part of our recent salary negotiations. We worked with the administration to ensure that 45 faculty who were initially excluded from the one-time payment will receive what they are entitled to.
The other issue is, unfortunately, a handful of faculty layoffs and the issuing of short-term appointments to fixed term faculty previously on year-long appointments. There are some difficult realities to contend with: the federal cuts have created a precarious funding situation in many labs and programs, and the budget model has put additional pressure on academic departments. We continue to monitor layoffs, ensure the process under the contract is being followed at all times, and defend the contractual rights of affected faculty. For those that have been inappropriately given short appointments during their most recent renewal, your union filed a grievance designed to ensure the rights under Article 24: Termination Not For Cause are extended to these faculty, including recall rights and verification of the lack of funding necessitating the cut. We are in active negotiations with the administration to secure the appropriate rights on behalf of affected faculty.
If you are being told your position will be redacted or cut and you haven’t already been in contact with us, please let us know by emailing info@uaosu.org.