Now he’s offering 12.75%, and a $2000 goat. It turns out he was kidding about only giving merit too – now it’s 9.75% ATB and 3% merit. What a funny guy.
Here’s hoping the union members vote to take this offer and then get to work helping Jamie Moffitt find out where all the GF money that used to go to faculty pay has been disappearing to.
In exchange the union agreed to end the TRP program for TTF. The university believes this is an expensive program because their simplistic analysis does not consider the secondary effects of ending it – faculty will simply delay retirement for a year or two instead of working 3-5 years part time. Ending TRP will hurt the shrinking number of TTF in PERS most, because they won’t get the 6% raise that pumped up their lifetime annuity payments. I don’t think that will actually save UO much, because if I understand the formula that determines how much UO pays into PERS it’s based on salaries, not annuity payments. So UO will subsidize the many other state agencies that have programs like TRP, while screwing over our own faculty. Whoops.
If you *were* thinking about the TRP you’ll have until the end of 2025 to sign up and get the 6% raise, then you have up to 3 years until you start teaching part time. And be sure to get your teaching/service commitments from your dean in writing and ask the union to check it over for you. They sure helped me!
UAUO email below the break:
We have a tentative agreement. Strike suspended!
Your bargaining team has been in mediation all weekend trying to wrap up a fair contract and avert a strike. It has been a tough negotiation, but your strength and engagement has helped us arrive at a tentative agreement.
We will be having a ratification vote this week, and will have several information sessions to talk through the tentative agreement. Please continue to monitor your email for dates/times and how to participate in the ratification vote.
Any strike is suspended pending the outcome of the ratification vote.
If the membership votes to ratify the contract, then we return to work as usual. During the ratification period, do your job duties as usual. If the membership votes to not ratify the contract, then the bargaining team goes back to the table to fight for more, and the membership goes on strike!
The basic outline of the deal is:
Tenure related:
- One time payment: $2000 (prorated by FTE)
- April 2025: 4.5% Across-the-board
- September 2025: 3.25% Across-the-board
- September 2026: 2% Across-the-board, 3% Merit.
Career Instructors:
- One time payment: $2000 (prorated by FTE)
- April 2025: 4.5% Across-the-board
- September 2025: 2% Equity, 3.25% Across-the-board
- September 2026: 3% Across-the-board + unused portion of Equity pool Across-the-board.
Career Researchers:
- One time payment: $2000 (prorated by FTE)
- April 2025: 4.5% Across-the-board
- September 2025: 4.25% Across-the-board
- September 2026: 4% Across-the-board
Postdocs:
- One time payment: $2000 (prorated by FTE)
- April 2025: At least 2% Across-the-board
- September 2025: At least 2% Across-the-board
- September 2026: At least 2% Across-the-board
Limited Duration:
- One time payment: $2000 (prorated by FTE)
- April 2025: 4.5% Across-the-board
- September 2025: 2% Across-the-board
- September 2026: 2% Across-the-board
The Tenure Reduction Program will be sunsetted with new sign-ups ending December 15, 2025 and no impact to existing agreements.
There are more details to talk through, and we will prepare a more comprehensive email to go out Monday. Right now, the bargaining team needs some rest!
|
|
|
|
Not what lots of folks were hoping for 14 months ago when UPS drivers were winning 170K contracts, but considering that grad students are now being swept off the streets and thrown in jails, the union leadership has to be commended for their persistence and overall handling of what were clearly contentious negotiations with the admin team.
For those that were clambering for overall union numbers, all I can say is that last night’s union zoom call quickly filled their 500-person acct max, and many more were getting the blow by blow on slack. I’d say this contract negotiation, which recognized that it needed to really go to bat for TT faculty, has won them a number of converts. Maybe even me. Favorite line of the night from one of the negotiators, “I’m tired of listening to Hal Sodofsky, let’s hear from you’.
To that end, next contract should be negotiated so anyone with Provost, VP or Dean in their title undergo 360º reviews at least once a contract. Accountability.
I was told that 100 new members had signed up in the last few weeks. Scholz is helping the union almost as much as Gottfredson and Rudnick did.
United Academics: Did we spend 12 months telling the UO we would only accept 17.2%+11% in merit pools? Just kidding!
This is why I find the union’s rhetoric so discouraging. I look at the world and see a federal government that is hell-bent on destroying higher ed. Meanwhile, UAUO moves along blissfully unaware of the attacks to come to federal and state funding. Unfortunately the union bargaining team seems staffed by people with almost no history here, or only minor history, who don’t understand the perilous position we’re in or don’t care. We’re not Columbia – if Trump & Co come after us, we can’t withstand that attack – and heck, neither did Columbia. Many faculty have our eyes open and do see the risks of an insane fascist destroying this institution (and many others along the way). UAUO would rather win the battle and lose the war.
So if the point of this blog post is that the administration is not to be trusted because the numbers changed in the 11th hour, what message should the administration take from the union when they say “we” can’t accept less than, I don’t know, 20% over three years, but accept 13%? Seems like this gamesmanship cost both sides the opportunity to prepare for what’s to come from the feds.
The lead on the bargaining team has been here 23 years, another member has been here decades and is close to retirement, so I’d say they have a history here. Did it occur to you that we tentatively agreed to far less than we deserve because we are very aware of the precarious situation faced by institutes of higher education? Why would you blame the UO’s financial situation on the hardworking faculty that are being underpaid rather than the administrators who always find the money to give themselves ~9% raises per year while shrinking the portion of the education fund that goes to faculty? It is their literal job to be stewards of the universities resources. If they are doing a poor job of advocating for more from the state and doing a poor job of allocating existing funds to support the mission of the University, the crisis is on them. Every time we bargain, there’s some sort of issue they hold over us. They try to appeal to our sense of loyalty to the students because they know we actually do care about the success of the students and the University. They are the ones who referred to our students as “tuition payers” during a bargaining session. I hope we continue to strengthen the union in the coming years. The Admins are officially on notice.