**Sent on behalf of Missy Matella**
Dear Colleagues,
The University of Oregon [The Administration] and United Academics (UA) [The Faculty Union] began bargaining a new collective bargaining agreement on January 9 with the first several sessions focused on UA’s proposals. After three sessions, UA has proposed changes to 16 existing articles and introduced nine new articles with more proposals to come in the weeks ahead. The costs associated with their proposals appear to be significant:
· By its own estimation, UA’s opening economic proposals will cost an additional $40 million over the term of a three-year contract. Proposals include changes to salary, benefits, child care support, parental leave, professional development, student support, and parking.
· Our costing committee is currently analyzing the proposals. We expect to have more information about the economic impact of all UA proposals toward mid-February.
UA’s proposals would have substantial economic and operational impact on academic and non-academic units and on other university stakeholders.
· The articles presented by UA to date would impact and, in some instances, define roles and responsibilities for department heads, principal investigators, the Senate, and athletics.
· The university’s bargaining team will diligently work to maintain the bargaining principles it previously articulated—including respecting the roles of the parties at the table as well as the roles of other campus stakeholders, units, and employee groups.
The university’s bargaining team will continue to provide new proposals through the end of February. Our proposals will reflect our responsibility to:
· remain good stewards of student tuition and taxpayer dollars, and
· make proposals consistent with the reality of the university’s current and future economic situation.
Weekly bargaining is expected to continue every Thursday through the winter and spring terms. We look forward to positive collaboration with the UA bargaining team in our efforts to identify shared interests and reach agreement on a contract that serves both the university and our faculty. You can keep track of the negotiation process by reviewing the information and updates posted on the UA bargaining webpage on the Human Resources website.
Shortly, I will send a similar email to department heads and other unrepresented faculty to keep them informed. I will continue to provide regular bargaining updates so you are informed and aware of the key components of the negotiations and so that you can provide feedback to our team throughout this process. Your assistance and support in this effort are greatly appreciated.
Should you have any questions or concerns throughout the negotiations process, please visit the bargaining update webpage or contact me by submitting an email to [email protected].
Best regards,
Missy Matella
Senior Director, Employee and Labor Relations
I hope that the “information about the economic impact of all UA proposals” will include economic benefits as well as costs. Providing better child care and parental leave for employees, for example, should result in benefits to the university and its students that include improved employee and student recruitment, retention, and morale, leading directly to cost reductions in the human resources department, among other areas.