EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Your UAOSU bargaining team and the administration team met on Tuesday, October 15. During the 3 hour session we passed seven counterproposals and counter proposed a Letter of Agreement (LOA) to the administration team: Term of the Agreement, Compensation, Appointment & Reappointment, Leaves, Benefits, Periodic Review of Faculty, Promotion and Tenure, and an LOA on caregivers. The administration team passed two counterproposals and a counter proposed LOA: Discipline and Termination, Position Descriptions and Workload, and an LOA on exceptional service.
UPCOMING SESSIONS & EVENTS
Use the links below to add these to your calendar and learn more about the upcoming events.
- Thurs Oct 31 9am-5pm Cascade Hall 135 – Bargaining
- Fri Nov 1 4-6pm Common Fields – Odd Friday – drop in, biweekly happy hour
- Thurs Nov 14 12-5pm Cascade Hall 135 – Bargaining
- Wed Nov 20 10-11am MU Thought Lab (215) & Zoom – Instructor Promotion Discussion
- Thurs Nov 21 9am-5pm Cascade Hall 135 – Bargaining
- Thurs Dec 5 12-1pm on Zoom – FRA & A Promotion Disccusion
FULL UPDATE
The session began with the administration passing a counterproposal on Discipline and Termination. Their counterproposal accepted our language about academic work performance issues being typically handled by faculty-led review processes. We plan to tentatively agree to this proposal at our next session as both sides are now in agreement on the language and its intent.
The administration next passed a counterproposal on Position Descriptions and Workload. Our proposal included language on receiving a reduction in a bargaining unit member’s base workload or extra compensation when assigned additional work beyond their typical workload as described in their position description. Administration countered that the faculty member should request such a reduction or extra compensation, which of course means the supervisor could just deny the request. In regards to teaching workload, the administration has again rejected without explanation our proposed requirements for substantive and meaningful workload policies designed to address problems we have heard from faculty..
The last counter proposal from the administration was an LOA on exceptional service. They accepted our reference to including the Cascades Campus since the original unit was college specific, and tour addition of a timeline for the committee; however, they struck the language that would require implementation.
On Term of the Agreement we are proposing a 3 year term. Typical terms in higher education labor contracts are 3 or 4 years, often with an option to reopen the Agreement before then to renegotiate salary. The administration wants a 6 year term without any option to reopen the Agreement. We simply cannot agree to such a long-term agreement, especially given the low compensation increases currently being offered by the administration.
On Compensation we are reproposing our initial raise structure, which includes a significant $8,000 increase in the first year to alleviate the notable loss in purchasing power due to the inflation substantially exceeding our raises during several years of our first contract. While we have brought back our structure, we have reduced both the across-the-board raise amount requested in the first year and the merit raise amounts. We have also dropped our language on post-promotion raises, which is a significant concession as we still believe it would be good for retention and rewarding long-term excellence. Among other items, we are also re-proposing our minimum sea pay of $300 a day, with the option to pay more at the discretion of a Principal Investigator, another round of equity raises, and critically needed higher salary minimums that increase each year with the across-the-board raises. The administration wanted to know why there was no floor on the merit raises. Our response was that we want merit increases to actually be used for merit,, which is why we seek to separate merit from the other types of raises. We think the administration’s obsession with calling all raises “merit raises” is disingenuous; minimum merit raises basically function as across-the-board raises. Let’s call them what they are!
In a counter-proposed LOA on caregivers, we accepted deletion of the preamble but reasserted the investment of significant funds into caregiving solutions. We are interested in getting money invested in creating more support for faculty with caregiving responsibilities. We’re just not interested in another committee report.
On Appointment and Reappointment we are mostly cleaning up language on continuous appointments but are reasserting that units limit the use of multiple appointments. We brought back language about FTE stability as it will be necessary to secure bargaining unit members FTE when on a continuous appointment. We also have language to ensure permanent increases to FTE for those hired at a lower FTE but who are routinely getting more FTE.
On Leaves we agreed to strike the leave bank, brought back language expanding sabbatical leave, and brought back some of our language on various kinds of family and medical leaves. We are seeking to make sure people have access to the already-agreed 120 hours of family and medical leave whether or not they’re going onto OPFML. We tweaked our language in regards to Paid Leave Oregon, requiring negotiations if OSU wants to discontinue their current equivalent plan. We also brought back language on modified duties upon return from medical leave to ensure a conversation happens. People may have reasons to need a non-ADA modification, and we want to ensure supervisors engage in the conversation.
On Benefits we are still proposing that the administration cover 95% of the premium and the full administrative fee for the health insurance for Postdoctoral Scholars and that all faculty be eligible for consideration for emeritus status. We have moved off of additional retirement benefits but want to protect the status quo for what retirees receive. We have also moved off of an additional tuition benefit, but are still pushing for up to 16 credits at OSU and to be able to split the benefit in two.
On Periodic Review of Faculty (PROF) and Promotion and Tenure we are mostly cleaning up language, but in PROF we still seek a reasonable connection between the overall assessment of job performance and the assessment in the various job categories in the position description. In Promotion and Tenure we dropped a section corresponding to post promotion raises. Consistent with our proposal in the PROF Article, we are continuing to try and limit the use of a post-tenure review process for when someone has failed an overall PROF review or had successive failures in a given category.
The next bargaining session is 9am-5pm on Halloween (Cascade Hall 135). You are welcome to come to the session in a costume. Even if you can only drop by for half an hour, your attendance matters: show the administration that faculty are watching this process.
You can find a list of the currently scheduled bargaining sessions, as well as read our updates and proposals at uaosu.org/bargaining.
Our power in negotiations comes from all of us working together as a united faculty. Becoming a member is the first step in supporting your bargaining team and securing a strong second contract . You can become a member online by going to uaosu.org/join.
In solidarity,
Filix Maisch and Your Bargaining Team