A day off for whatever reason you might want, to celebrate our individual diversity! Good for Atheists to Zoroastrianists. Take your kid to Wildlife Safari on their birthday or drive up to Willamette Pass and genuflect to Ullr, the god of telemark skiing. Too bad this wasn’t announced in time to celebrate the death of Kissinger, for those so inclined:
 Dear colleagues, As fall term winds down and we look ahead to celebrating the winter holidays, I am filled with pride and appreciation for our UO community and our many successes. During my first five months as president, I’ve met with thousands of members of our faculty, staff, student body, alumni, and community at dozens of gatherings and events, all of which have helped me understand what it means to be a Duck. I’ve enjoyed learning about your rich and diverse experiences, expertise, and deep commitment to our mission. Today I write to convey my thanks, provide holiday guidance, and give an update on our UO Onward university strategic planning. Holiday Programs I’m pleased to announce we are piloting a new floating holiday that will give eligible employees an extra paid day off to observe any day of cultural, personal, or religious significance. In recognition of the many unique experiences and needs of our campus community, this gives employees flexibility to celebrate a day that is meaningful to them over the next 12 months. I also encourage all units to observe a “quiet period” between the December 25 and January 1 holidays, as operations allow. We encourage leaders to maintain only essential work. Reducing operations will allow employees who choose to take time off the opportunity to relax and recharge. Those who will be working will have more time to focus or plan for the year ahead with a little lighter workload. We want to support well-being in our work and personal lives and recognize our employees’ diligent commitment. The pilot holiday and quiet period guidance are small ways we can continue to foster belonging and flourishing at the University of Oregon. UO Onward – Strategic Planning [UOM: redacted on the grounds that no one cares.] … In closing, thank you for the warm welcome to the University of Oregon. I wish you a wonderful end to the fall term, a restful holiday season, and a joyous year in 2024. With gratitude, Karl Scholz President |
The floating holiday is a line item in the current SEIU bargaining. Will be interesting to see if this will now be put out to sea (perhaps the smaller schools claim they couldn’t afford it, but now UO faction is appeased) or if it will buoy efforts.
By the by, no UOM posts on current negotiations? There are some strong COLA’s being proposed. This rising tide could lift other boats…
Thanks, got some links?
The latest update lists management’s current COLA proposal: https://seiu503.org/member_news/hed6/ 5% at signing, 3.5% July ’25, 1.5% July ’26. What the politics of sharing/not sharing the SEIU side are I don’t know, but last I heard was $2000 at signing, 10% July ’23, 6% July ’25, 6% July ’26 (22% total vs. their original proposed 28%). There was no COLA July ’23. This all very much in the wake of the state worker’s new contract https://seiu503.org/state/ which builds on previous wins that already out-paced higher ed.
For those interested: https://seiu503.org/highered/