Victories in Oregon

We are excited to report that, with the certification of two new bargain­ing units this summer by the Oregon Employment Relations Board, the faculty at all public universities in Oregon are now organized in unions. Oregon faculty members will be well positioned to coordinate advocacy work on a statewide basis.

United Academics of Oregon State University was certified as a union affiliated with the AAUP and the American Federa­tion of Teachers. The bargaining unit includes almost 2,400 OSU faculty members—in tenure-track and non-tenure-track teaching and research positions—across the state. The chapter aims to work collaboratively with the OSU administration to strengthen shared governance, improve working conditions, and culti­vate environments favorable to teaching, learning, research, and outreach.

The Oregon Employment Relations Board also certified an AAUP-affiliated union for non­supervisory faculty members at the Oregon Institute of Technology. The union represents about 180 full-time tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty members. Its priorities include strengthening shared governance and negotiating a contract that secures improve­ments in working conditions and overall compensation.

OIT department chairs also filed a petition to form a union. In spite of a formal objection by the OIT administration to the petition, the AAUP is working to demonstrate that the unit should be allowed under a new provision in Oregon statute.