The University of Oregon’s faculty union, United Academics, announced in a March 20 press release that it intends to strike as soon as March 31. At issue is fair faculty compensation, the UA says.
If the strike proceeds, it would be the first faculty strike at the UO.
In January 2024, the school narrowly averted a graduate employees strike when the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation and the UO reached an agreement only days before the strike was to begin. A decade earlier, in 2014, the GTFF hit the picket lines in what was the first strike in the union’s 38 -year history.
UA says in the release that “yearlong bargaining sessions have failed to produce a fair contract settlement.”
The faculty union represents 1,850 full- and part-time faculty at the UO. The school enrolls 20,626 undergraduate students and 3,836 graduates who could be affected by the strike, according to the Office of the Registrar. More than 80 percent of all lectures and seminars are taught by faculty, according to the school’s Admissions office.
Mike Urbancic, president of United Academics, says in the release, “Our members and the bargaining team did not arrive at this decision easily, but the university administration’s stubborn resistance to a fair and reasonable contract has brought us to the brink of a strike.”
Urbancic says, “We will continue to be ready to bargain in an attempt to reach a fair and reasonable contract.”
He says there are part-time faculty who can barely afford to live in Eugene, and that “we are not respected” despite teaching “tens of thousands of students every year,” and providing “valuable research on treating diseases and preventing injuries as well as work on innovative discoveries in multiple fields.”
UA says on its website, “Our analysis shows that most faculty across campus have fallen behind inflation, in spite of earning promotion and merit raises.”
Urbancic continues, “Our enrollment is up, and we should be prioritizing more in the educational mission of our university—including compensating faculty fairly.”
The University of Oregon Student Workers union has also voted to strike, citing issues “including, pay, pay period and enforceable protections for harassment and discrimination.”
The UO says in a statement, “We value our faculty and appreciate their contributions and shared commitment to the University of Oregon, our students, and our future. The UO is committed to negotiating a contract that fairly compensates faculty while ensuring long-term financial sustainability for the institution and its students. We appreciate the time and dedication that United Academics leaders and members bring to the bargaining process. We have made progress.”