EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Your UAOSU bargaining team and the administration team met from 9:30-12:30 on Wednesday, January 29. The administration team did not bring an updated compensation proposal; however, they did bring counter proposals on Benefits, Leaves, and Academic Freedom. We engaged in extensive discussion about faculty rights to freedom of expression and about the need for clarity and transparency about workload in unit-level workload guidelines.
Rally for Fair Pay for Faculty – Thurs Feb 6 11:45am, Library Quad
Show the administration you expect a fair compensation package and a contract that provides the stability, equity, and respect we deserve.
UPCOMING SESSIONS
Use the links below to add these to your calendar.
- Tues Feb 11 11am-4:30pm Cascade Hall 141
- Tues Feb 18 9:30am-4:30pm Cascade Hall 141
- Tues Feb 25 9:30am-4:30pm Cascade Hall 141
FULL UPDATE
The first counter proposal brought by the administration was Academic Freedom. A key sticking point remains language surrounding rights to free expression, especially in areas that recent policy changes explicitly declared not to be free speech zones, such as offices and the library. The administration team raised concerns about unfettered rights to free speech and what they viewed as a conflation of academic freedom and free speech, and they again argued that our proposed language was too expansive. Our conversation revealed that we may actually have significant agreement that faculty have a robust right to free expression and academic freedom, and we hope to convince the administration to further codify that shared understanding in our contract.
The administration then brought Leaves. While we continue to believe that all promoted faculty (not just those who have tenure) should be eligible for sabbatical leaves for intellectual enrichment, our administration continues to deny our non-tenured faculty the opportunity. On the upside, the administration finally agreed to language (which we already agreed upon in an earlier LOA) that the 120 hours of family and medical leave we won in our last CBA is not prorated on FTE. We also came to agreement that such leave can be used prior to other types of leave (sick, vacation, etc.).
The last counter proposal brought by the administration was on Benefits. We are close to finalizing this proposal, with the key remaining issue of the staff fee privilege (tuition reduction). We have been proposing that if the benefit is used at OSU it should increase from 12 to 16 credits; this would allow the benefit to cover full-time attendance, like it did before OSU ended the tuition plateau (when students could pay for 12 credits but take up to 16).
The remainder of the session centered on a conversation regarding workload policies. Prior to us sharing our counter proposal, we asked for clarity on the administration’s resistance to requiring that unit workload guidelines include specific information – we are particularly eager to ensure that these guidelines clarify the weight of different kinds of courses in overall workload. We are not seeking overly prescriptive standards, simply that units be clear about how accounting of effort is determined, in order to mitigate potential inequities in assignments within a unit. The administration team argued that they had already made several concessions in this article and were simply uninterested in further addressing our concerns.
The next bargaining session is 9:30am–12:30pm on Tuesday, February 11 in Cascade Hall 141. 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,
Lori Cramer and Your Bargaining Team