“Everyone is concerned about compensation issues — salary, health insurance, retirement — but that’s not the only thing a union can improve for us. I’m very invested in the shared governance of the university, and collective bargaining can strengthen the faculty role. The faculty are part of the long-term identity of the UO, yet we have less and less voice in the decisions that affect th......... more »

“I’ve been a member of the national musicians’ union since 1988, and my family has a background in K-12 public education unions. I feel that we can have a stronger, more cohesive voice for all faculty members at UO through the establishment of a union here. It’s invigorating to acknowledge that we can determine the parameters of our own union from its inception. I’m interested in preserv......... more »

"I came to the UO two years ago after being a long-time union member in my previous employment. I have found there to be huge differences between working in a union and non-union environment. We need a faculty union to help ensure equitable salaries, adequate benefits and working conditions, and job security. An individual faculty member has little voice or recourse when decisions are made that af......... more »

“Having taken a Research Assistant position for the first leg of my professional career, I think it’s safe to say that I take science seriously. One of the cornerstones of being a good scientist is being open and transparent in every step one takes. When attempting to ascertain the specifics of my own contract, I’ve found vague language and opaque organization. I’ve observed similar issues......... more »

“Public employees, especially teachers, are increasingly under attack, portrayed by the right wing as spoiled liberals who don’t work for their money. The defamatory public relations campaign that has been undertaken against public employees can’t be fought by individuals, we need a collective voice that includes professors, public school teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other pu......... more »

“In a society fractured by adversarial and competitive hyper-individualism, unions offer our culture an opportunity to recall the values of interdependence and fairness. Public institutions of higher education — at their best — elevate those cultural principles as well, and further meld them together in a mission to create opportunities, regardless of background or income, to pursue understa......... more »

“I came to the UO after eleven years at a public university with a strong faculty union. The differences in terms of faculty salaries, protected benefits, governance and institutional priorities are striking. Instead of the leveling role presumed by some of my colleagues, a faculty union was crucial in securing salaries that far exceed the UO at the highest as well as the middle and lower tiers.......... more »

"The faculty at UO face a number of challenges, some unique to our institution, others that we share with universities around the country.  Our salaries are at the bottom of the list when compared to our peers.  There is an increasing reliance on non-tenure-track positions and part-time positions for undergraduate (and even much graduate) teaching.  And there is increasing pressure for us to sh......... more »

"Faculty can embrace their labor through a union, and a faculty union can help with transparency on campus."......... more »

"As I see it, the most pressing problem at the UO – the long term and systematic disinvestment in faculty, students and academic facilities like the library collection – is not unique to our university.  It represents a broader shift in institutional priorities in the US from advancing knowledge and preparing the next generation for democratic citizenship and meaningful work to the accumulati......... more »

"Unionization will allow us to enhance faculty governance, to make our voices heard, and to defend our individual and collective rights. A faculty union will help the University of Oregon realize its academic mission with fairness, transparency, and accountability, and will make sure that it does so under the highest academic standards. The University of Oregon community at large -not just its fac......... more »

"All of the people who devote their time and energy to provide an inclusive and stimulating learning environment here at the University of Oregon should have representation in the form of a union. Graduate students and classified staff do. It is past time for faculty to have it as well."......... more »

"As a non-tenure track instructor, I take my commitment to teach very seriously, but with term-to-term or nine-month contracts, I have yet to feel secure about my longevity at the U of O. At a minimum, I believe a union can help me be a better teacher and mentor by providing more job security. Working under a multi-year contract that contains clear language about my future employment can only help......... more »

"The sustained and massive attack on the rights and opportunities of working people underway in the US has eroded the capacity of our educational systems to meet basic requirements of sustaining our nation.  While proponents of reducing public support for educational institutions cite financial frugality as their purpose, the actual consequence of this attack is to disenfranchise Americans by kee......... more »

"University of Oregon faculty need a union. We must address inequities, create a fair process for resolving conflicts and win the right to bargain over our salary and benefit structure. It's about democracy; and it's the only effective way to make the changes we need to move our institution forward."  ......... more »