Last updated on 05/31/2015
The agendas for meetings this Wednesday – Friday are now posted here. With the UO administration currently proposing to cut the faculty’s real wages, this sticks out:
Here’s an update on the status of the SEIU negotiations. Anyone know anything about the UOPD?
Our hopes that last session’s signing of several Tentative Agreements (TA) would jump start our bargaining and get the momentum going seem to be in vain as we once again appear to be in a holding pattern gaining little ground in our two-day bargaining session at Eastern Oregon University.
The high point of the two days was a spirited rally sponsored by our EOU Local 081. With SEIU 503 Executive Director Heather Conroy in attendance, our members were joined by faculty, students, an Associate Dean, and even an EOU Board of Trustees member who turned out to show their support and affirm that WE ARE IN IT TOGETHER.
Southern has yet to join the other six campuses in negotiating one wage and benefits package for all seven universities. In addition, management has several other proposals that attempt to treat workers differently, essentially creating more division between our campuses. A couple of examples are:
1. If an employee transfers to a different university, the amount of their sick leave accruals that can be transferred will be determined by the new university’s policy. Currently, all accruals are transferred.
2. If an employee transfers to a different university, the amount of their vacation leave accruals that can be transferred will be determined by the new university’s policy. Currently, the employee may elect to retain and transfer up to 80 hours
What part of ONE CONTRACT don’t they understand? (Click here to see a full list of proposals)
Additionally, management has returned to the “Big Bad Three” from our last contract campaign:
1. Attacking our layoff rights
2. Making it easier to contract out our jobs
3. Reducing overtime eligibility
We weren’t interested two years ago and we’re not interested now. What part of NO don’t they understand? (Click here to see a full list of proposals)
Click here to send your Vice President, Finance and Administration a message that these divisive proposals have to go if they want to settle this contract. We won’t stand for separate treatment. We won’t stand for our rights being attacked and gutted.
Our next bargaining sessions:
June 8 and 9 at WOU
June 18 and 19 at PSU
July 9 and 10 at UO
July 20 and 21 at OSU
In It Together,
Your SEIU Local 503 Higher Ed Bargaining Team
Marc Nisenfeld, PSU (Chair)
Trisha Guy, WOU
Johnny Earl, UO
Gloria O’Brien, OSU
Helen Moore, EOU
Colleen Martin-Low, SOU
Gregory Marks, PSU
Bob Klem, OIT (Alternate Chair)
I understand SEIU’s insistence on ONE contract but I am not sure that will ever jive with the reality that their good friends in the legislature and governor’s office broke up the ONE system, ONE funding model (which never really worked anyway) and the ONE common interest among the universities. It is every university for themselves these days. I know that doesn’t fit with SEIU’s mentality but it is reality. This won’t be the last contract where this march to independence drums along.
As long as the framework of the USSE and HECC is there, it is one system, just with a much bigger layer of upper middle management.
It is not one system and is not managed that way. It is a loose coalition that only acts as one in case of severe need, such as the funding request. You have absolutely no idea how far apart they are and how much they compete, disagree and have disdain for each other behind the scenes. Do you really think the HECC or USSE is going to control the U of O’s board if it doesn’t give a darn about Eastern Oregon U and its financial issues?
The USSE has an extremely precarious existence already. There are a handful of Oregon universities that would love it to just go away. The HECC doesn’t govern as much as the individual boards.
It is not one system. That ship sailed a long time ago and from each University’s perspective I am sure the ship sailed on one job class, etc. when SEIU employees broke from DAS.
“Do you really think the HECC or USSE is going to control the U of O’s board if…” No, I don’t. I do have a very good how the structure, org-chart-wise, has changed and shifted a great deal of autonomy and power to certain large schools. USSE’s position is less precarious than certain schools might think; the transition period has allowed for a lot of confusion on both sides of the equation to continue.
What I do see happening, to get back to your question, is, over time, for central thinkers to review the opportunities lost in the past few decades of OUS, and the greater opportunities lost through the breakup of the system to the individual boards, and rethink the system of state universities. One of the reasons to do so will be a campus or campuses acting a little “too private” and too autonomous for the public good.
Remember the only reason some campuses went with the pan in the first place was that PSU and UO leaving the system weakened the system such that independent boards made more sense for the remaining campuses large enough to do so. OSU, for example, will no doubt do well, and, indeed, prosper under its own board, but I know a good number of folks in Kerr who would just as soon see a better system than a few prosperous independents slugging it out for resources and leaving the meager remains to the small regional colleges and CC’s.
Indeed, Ed Ray has been open about the notion that, while it is working for OSU, the jury is still out on whether this will work as well for the state as people thought when they were sold on the idea in the first place.
You and I, Max, could both be right, but we’ll not find out for some time…
However everyone in the ONE job class that the USSE uses for each job is doing the SAME work, at a UNIVERSITY (thus same employer in essence) and deserves the SAME treatment including pay. E.g. clerical workers, plumbers, etc. who work for any of the universities (and esp. library techs, who as I understand are all now on the same software at all schools). It is still ONE system, with boards underlaid just to make it more complicated.