Update: April 27, 2012 United Academics of the University of Oregon, AAUP/AFT, AFL-CIO is officially certified. Read the certification document. (.pdf)
Administration Drops Objections to Faculty Bargaining Unit
April 24, 2012
For more information, please contact: Yonna Carroll
United Academics Media Coordinator
(541) 636-4714 or (206) 499-9050
Washington, DC—Faculty and administrators at the University of Oregon reached an agreement this week on the composition of a faculty union at the university. The faculty organizing group, United Academics, had filed union authorization cards in March, and the University of Oregon administration then filed a broad range of objections to the proposed bargaining unit.
This week, the administration and the faculty were able to resolve the objections and the university will recognize the faculty union, making hearings and legal delays unnecessary. The union, which will be affiliated with the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers, will include more than 1,800 tenure-line and non-tenure-track faculty, adjunct instructors, research associates and assistants, and post-doctoral scholars.
The authorization cards filed March 13 by United Academics with the Oregon Employment Relations Board included a clear majority of faculty in all classifications of faculty to be represented. Among the many Research One universities in the western United States, United Academics will be the largest integrated bargaining unit of tenure-related and non-tenure-related faculty.
“This agreement and subsequent certification pave the way for UO tenure-related and non-tenure-track faculty – working together – to have a more substantive voice in refocusing our university on the core mission of teaching and research,” said Scott Pratt, Professor of Philosophy.
“We now have the official means to negotiate and collectively bargain for better working conditions, transparency, and accountability. This will improve the learning conditions of our students, said Tina Boscha, Instructor of English.
“Faculty on the Organizing Committee appreciate the UO administration’s good faith effort to reach this agreement, avoid unnecessary delays, and move forward to our first negotiations,” said Michael Dreiling, Associate Professor of Sociology.
The American Association of University Professors is a nonprofit charitable and educational organization that promotes academic freedom by supporting tenure, academic due process, and standards of quality in higher education. The AAUP has approximately 47,000 members at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
