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Contract and dues ratified

10/9/2013: From the UAUO website on last night’s vote:

CONTRACT RATIFICATION
YES: 301 (99%)
NO: 3 (1%) 

DUES AUTHORIZATION
YES: 285 (97.2%)
NO: 8 (2.8%)

Pretty good turnout for an in-person vote, I think the union currently has about 1000 members. Next order of business is nominations for officers and representative assembly members, then a vote by mail. I’ll post the details on this process soon.

10/7/2013: Compiled from various union docs:

Meeting: ERB MEMORIAL UNION BALLROOM, 6PM-9PM, Tuesday Oct 8.



Links:

DRAFT: UAUO Dues and Budget Scenarios, Fall 2013

Revenue:

 

 

1.     Union revenue comes from dues from union members and “Fair Share” payments from non-members. These will be deducted monthly from paychecks starting with the ratification of the contract and will apply to all taxable income including stipends and summer pay. All bargaining members will have the same percentage of monthly pay deducted. At the end of the year our auditor will calculate the FS rate using standard rules, and we will refund the difference between the dues rate and the FS rate to non-union members on their request. We expect the FS rate to be about 85% of the union member rate. 

2.     We expect dues collection will begin with the end of October paycheck (pro-rated). Our fiscal year will start when we receive these dues from the university, presumably Nov 1. 

3.     After raises the annual bargaining unit payroll will be about $92M. However because of the FS deductions every 0.1% in dues is about $86K in annual revenue. This will increase to about $92K next FY, because of raises and hiring. 

4.     With dues set at 1.1%, FS at 85% of dues, and assuming 60% of the faculty join the union, we expect to have about $951K in revenue for the first year, and about $1,039K for year two. 

 

Expenses:

 

 

5.     UAUO’s largest expenses are the “per cap” payments to our state and nation affiliates. In return the affiliates provide subsidies for conferences, support for bargaining and arbitration, and pay for most of UAUO’s legal costs. AFT also lobbies the state and national government in support of education and public employees. Because of our joint affiliation we get a discount on per caps from each affiliate. We pay 2/3 of the normal rate to the AAUP and 1/2 of the normal rate to AFT-National. AFT-Oregon will rebate 40% of our per caps, for the first 3 years, as organizing assistance. This rebate will be about $180K. Net of the rebate we will pay AAUP $214K a year and AFT $430K, for a total of $645K . 

6.     Our main local expenses are staff. We plan on a full time Executive Director and a part-time office person, with bookkeeping experience. Including benefits, we estimate these costs to be about $146K. Office expenses including rent and copier lease will be about $26K, after some cost sharing with our affiliates.  Other UAUO local expenses include sending union members to AAUP and AFT conventions and conferences (including meetings where we can vote on policies), mailings, legal advice, audits, etc.  We estimate these costs at $66,000.  So total UAUO local costs are $239K for year 1. 

Summary and forecasts: 

 

With dues at 1.1% we expect to end the first year with a $68K surplus. The second year we will have higher revenue because of raises, but also higher costs because it will be a bargaining year, and we estimate an (additional) $86K surplus. These forecasts assume no increases in per caps, and are based on estimates of revenue and expenses.  

ERB MEMORIAL UNION BALLROOM, 6PM-9PM, Tuesday Oct 8.

5PM doors open for member check-in–voting begins
6PM–meeting convenes–Chief negotiators present the contract
6:30PM–Q & A with the bargaining team
7:30PM–Finance committee presents local budget and dues proposal to membership
8:00PM–Q & A with the finance committee
9:00PM – Meeting and Voting Conclude
The contract ratification vote will continue until 9PM–ballots will be counted at the end of the meeting and results will be announced via email.
The contract summary, the budget, and the dues proposal will be available at the meeting.

Members do not have to stay for the entire meeting.  You may come, vote, and leave at any time during the meeting.  However, we encourage everyone to attend the entire presentation and participate in the discussion.

14 Comments

  1. Anonymous 10/07/2013

    So do I get this right? You take out the dues for everyone as if they were in the union, then you will refund at the end of the year — if requested? Is the Union the IRS? Why should I, as a non-card signing faculty member, give the union a loan at no interest? I should only have to pay my FS dues from the outset! If you can’t figure out your budget, then make it up in future years. You have the list of members, you have the total list of faculty members, hence the FS members…….Figure it out now.

    • Anonymous 10/07/2013

      Uh, I think you just got a multitude of benefits from our contract negotiations… If you are making around $70,000, it is a big difference of about $70 per year.

    • UO Matters 10/07/2013

      Tough to figure this out now, given that the administration still hasn’t even provided us with an updated list of bargaining unit members.

    • UO Matters 10/07/2013

      I like your suggestion that the union should pay interest on the dues/FS difference though.

    • Anonymous 10/07/2013

      Wait, so what precisely is the dues motion that we will be voting on? How is it even legal for us (the union) to withhold and then refund the excess of the fair share dues?

  2. Anonymous 10/07/2013

    Wow, the last I heard was 1.25%, 1.1 is even better!

    • Anonymous 10/08/2013

      Not as good as PSU.

    • Anonymous 10/08/2013

      How effective is their local? You receive something in exchange for your dues.

  3. awesome 0 10/09/2013

    I’m still hung over from the party . And somehow I woke up this morning in LA.

    • Severinus de Monzambano 10/09/2013

      There was a party, Comrade Awesome?

    • awesome0 10/09/2013

      It was off the hook. We watched highlights of the negotiations and people did shots every time Rudnick said “actually”. Mauer did a keg stand and Cecil brought a beer bong. I’m pretty sure UOmatters brought some special brownies.

      I still don’t know how I woke up in LA though.

  4. Anonymous 10/10/2013

    300 faculty show up after work for the Union meeting, and the Senate can barely get a quorum?

  5. Anonymous 10/10/2013

    Maybe because the union meetings don’t waste time with random resolutions and no confidence of the month votes.

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