Dear Union of Pitt Faculty,
Greetings from United Academics of Oregon State University (UAOSU), a new local of AFT and AAUP!
We write to support your organizing campaign by letting you know some of the things that helped us along the way. When we were doing our certification organizing, we had thousands of hours of sometimes tough conversations about the pros and cons of unionizing. So we know where you are!
One of the problems we encountered was that the OSU administration attempted to control the narrative regarding union certification through the use of an FAQ page on the OSU website that showcased anti-union questions and answers to stoke fears and concerns. We countered with our own campaign of accurate and unbiased information, but also challenged this suppressive practice in a lawsuit that we subsequently won (2 years later). Despite the interference, a majority of our faculty voted to certify our union in June of 2018. In June of 2020, we finished negotiating our first contract, which was ratified when 72% of our members voted, and 99% of those votes were “yes”!
The contract has significant gains for many faculty members across all ranks. Some of these include issues important for researchers in sciences, including:
The contract also includes some important worker protections vital across all ranks and areas of the university, including:
We also won some critical improvements to our benefits, including:
We also created new promotion pathways for Research Associates, Instructors (PAC), and Instructors (ALS / ESL) who previously had no possibility for promotion. Moving forward, we will continue to bargain rigorously regarding conditions for reopening in the fall. A strong contract and negotiating team are important/valued resources in the best of times, and now they have never been more vital. It is critical that faculty have a seat at the table to negotiate the working conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We know that labor organizing in higher education is critical to restoring and strengthening faculty voices in university governance, as well as identifying and prioritizing the needs and well-being of faculty, staff and students. We look forward to welcoming Pitt to the nationwide network of academic faculty unions and the larger labor movement.
From the UAOSU Organizing Committee
Greetings from United Academics of Oregon State University (UAOSU), a new local of AFT and AAUP!
We write to support your organizing campaign by letting you know some of the things that helped us along the way. When we were doing our certification organizing, we had thousands of hours of sometimes tough conversations about the pros and cons of unionizing. So we know where you are!
One of the problems we encountered was that the OSU administration attempted to control the narrative regarding union certification through the use of an FAQ page on the OSU website that showcased anti-union questions and answers to stoke fears and concerns. We countered with our own campaign of accurate and unbiased information, but also challenged this suppressive practice in a lawsuit that we subsequently won (2 years later). Despite the interference, a majority of our faculty voted to certify our union in June of 2018. In June of 2020, we finished negotiating our first contract, which was ratified when 72% of our members voted, and 99% of those votes were “yes”!
The contract has significant gains for many faculty members across all ranks. Some of these include issues important for researchers in sciences, including:
- Bridge funding pool equivalent to 1% of all recovered overhead (1% = ~$430,000/year), to improve job security for fixed-term research faculty when one grant ends before another begins
- Workplace safety, including the responsibility of the employer to provide and maintain facilities and equipment necessary to job duties and the right to refuse hazardous work and procedures
- Faculty Research Assistant and Research Associate job exchange to allow currently and recently employed FRAs and RAs to move positions without open searches
- Minimum three-month notice before discontinuing current practice of 25% tuition reduction charged to grants once a graduate employee has reached candidacy
The contract also includes some important worker protections vital across all ranks and areas of the university, including:
- Clear and enforceable grievance process ending in third-party arbitration, meaning the final decision on issues raised will be in the hands of a neutral arbitrator instead of solely at the discretion of administrators, as it was before the contract
- Making university policies enforceable via the grievance process
- Process and information used in promotion, tenure, renewal, merit distribution, and other decisions are now subject to the grievance procedure
- Claims of discrimination, harassment, and bullying are subject to the grievance process
- Strong, grievable academic freedom protections are now in place
We also won some critical improvements to our benefits, including:
- 90% employer contribution to family insurance premiums of Postdoctoral Scholars (up from 0% before the contract)
- 100% employer contribution to employee insurance for continuing Postdoctoral Scholars
- 90% employer contribution to employee insurance for incoming Postdoctoral Scholars ∙
- Continuing current rates for PEBB and retirement benefit contributions for all eligible faculty
- Doubling paid family leave from 60 hours to 120 hours
- Pay raises for 2019-2020, even in this time of financial hardship
We also created new promotion pathways for Research Associates, Instructors (PAC), and Instructors (ALS / ESL) who previously had no possibility for promotion. Moving forward, we will continue to bargain rigorously regarding conditions for reopening in the fall. A strong contract and negotiating team are important/valued resources in the best of times, and now they have never been more vital. It is critical that faculty have a seat at the table to negotiate the working conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We know that labor organizing in higher education is critical to restoring and strengthening faculty voices in university governance, as well as identifying and prioritizing the needs and well-being of faculty, staff and students. We look forward to welcoming Pitt to the nationwide network of academic faculty unions and the larger labor movement.
From the UAOSU Organizing Committee
