United Academics of the University of Oregon (UAUO), the union that represents faculty at the university, kicked off bargaining for a new contract last month. Atop of some of their priorities is more rights for non-tenure faculty and undergraduate student support. This will only be their third contract and first new contract in five years.
UAUO is the third university workers union to bargain this school year for a new contract, after SEIU and GTFF won new contracts in the fall after narrowly avoiding a strike. UAUO however views bargaining will go differently for them. The union says as part of their “UA Bargaining 101” there is no plan for a strike and they have not historically found a hard time finding agreement with the administration. That does not mean they will not challenge the administration, their union Organizer, David Cecil, has thrown in multiple jabs at the administration during bargaining already.
One of UAUO’s more ambitious proposals is its “Student Support” proposal, which aims to change the adversarial relationship between academics and athletics and support lower income students.
UAUO has also made proposals surrounding salaries, with their eyes not just on tenured faculty but also career faculty. The proposal outlines 3% cost of living adjustments for each of the three years of the contract. Additionally, they are seeking significant changes to the salary floors, as faculty have not seen those changes in about five years.
The union and administration’s bargaining teams will meet weekly for public sessions on Thursdays from 12-3 PM in Chiles 125.
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