United Academics tells University it is ready to strike if needed

Hours before United Academics was set to close its strike authorization vote, the faculty union held a march, rally, and practice picket. Hundreds of members and supporters turned out to the action the union described as the last push to avert a strike. After over a year of bargaining, UA declared impasse on February 18.

Later that night, the union announced that with 89% turnout, 92% voted to approve a strike. This gives the bargaining team the ability to call a strike, for which they would have to give the university a 10 day heads up. Currently they are in a 30 day cooling off period, which started on February 25, when the union and university submitted their last, best offers. The union has the ability to go on strike only after that cooling off period. If they are forced to go on strike, the earliest they expect it to be is day one of spring term March 31.

“We’ve known for years what the cost of living has been doing. [The administration] had years to prepare for this moment and plan accordingly and budget accordingly,” Mike Urbancic, president of UAUO told Solidarity News. “For them to come to us now and say, ‘Yeah, we’re broke. We can’t possibly offer you more than the salary raises we’ve been offering.’ That means that the whole time they’ve been failing to plan for this moment. Or it’s just to say, they’ve been planning to fail faculty at this moment.”

The event started out as rally on the steps in front of Matthew Knight Arena, where UA also provided space UOSW to speak, which also declared impasse recently. After a brief rally, UA organizers led everyone on a rally down 13th Avenue, towards the heart of campus to hold practice pickets, later converging into one giant march around Johnson Hall. Chanting things such as “A year of stalling, bad faith games – Faculty deserve a raise” and “We’re done waiting, hear us shout – Fair contract or we walk out.”

Urbancic says just in the last several years faculty has gone from 91% the average of comparator institutions to now to 84%. Additionally UO facult has slid 12% behind the cost of living in the last five years. On their bargaining information website UA says since 2014, admin salaries have gone up 5.5%, while faculty salries have gone down 5%.

“Students, parents, and alumni, if they can join together in chorus and let the administration know, settle this – give the faculty a fair contract. Make their salaries competitive. So that they can at least keep up with the cost of living. So that we can retain our faculty. So we can maintain our courses and our programs. So that students can graduate on time. And so that students can get the education they deserve from faculty who are excited to be doing what they do.” Urbancic remarked, noting the onus is on adminstration to make a move.

The UO Board of Trustees will meet and have public comment on Tuesday, where workers from several unions are expected to voice their concerns and hear what the university has to say.