Hey all, I’m back! For the last couple of months I have been in and out of being sick and traveling for the holidays, which has made it hard for me to get out a newsletter. This newsletter will pull in some older developments that I was not able to cover since my last newsletter, but also be forward looking.
Our Children’s Trust recognizes workers’ union
Workers at Our Children’s Trust, a non-profit public interest law firm that focuses on the environment, petitioned management to voluntarily recognize their union, and on December 3 their board unanimously voted to recognize the union. It was not without setbacks, though, four positions were eliminated, leading to two layoffs.
The union is affiliated with Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 7901 based in Portland. CWA 7901 also includes workers from AT&T and Century Link as well as from nonprofits such as Portland Jobs With Justice and Portland community radio station KBOO.
College workers reach deals, ramp up for new fight
On November 25, the LCC Education Association reached a deal after bargaining for over a year for a new contract. Earlier that month SEIU and GTFF ratified their contracts.
Come January 9, United Academics (UA), which represents the faculty at the University of Oregon, will begin bargaining for a new contract. UA’s first bargaining session will be in EMU Crater Lake North (room 146, the same room as GTFF’s first bargaining session) from 12-3 PM. UA considers lower tuition, shared governance, and academic freedom among some of its top values that will be guiding them in bargaining.
The University of Oregon Board of Trustees, the university’s governing body, recently approved a $100K bonus for President Schill.
Local links
Solution Shaper: Kris McAlister — helping homeless at policy table and on the ground
Large Eugene crowd remembers homeless deaths in 2019
Pablo Alvarez: Reforming our exclusionary past
U.S. employers are charged with violating federal law in 41.5% of all union election campaigns. A report produced with help of several local labor researchers.
A new GTFF caucus wants to make space for graduate students of color
UO reaches settlement in age discrimination case
Feds help star athlete hide campus rape charges. How former Ducks football player Tristen Wallace was able to get the University of Oregon with the help of the US Department of Education to remove references to sexual assault in expulsion note on his transcript.
The week ahead
Wednesday, 7 PM: IWW January Movie and Discussion, Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train @ McNail-Riley House
Thursday, 6:30 PM: Encircle Films presents No Man’s Land @ Broadway Metro