The University of Oregon's faculty union has reached a tentative agreement on a contract, and a strike has been averted for now.
The announcement came Sunday, after days of last-minute bargaining between the university and its faculty. United Academics of UO had declared its intent to strike as early as Monday unless a deal was reached.
Mike Urbancic, President of United Academics of UO, said the agreement doesn't includes several of the union's key demands, with lower tuition benefits and less professional development time.
Urbancic also said while UO increased its wage offerings throughout the bargaining process, they are still below than the American Association of Universities’ average.
“That's been an important goal, given the problems that we've had with retaining faculty and given the increases in cost of living here,” said Urbancic.
However, Urbancic said the union felt UO had decided to give faculty lower wages years ago, and based its financial plans on those assumptions. He said a strike might not have changed that.
“This was kind of an exercise in trying to get blood from a stone,” said Urbancic. “The administration just simply hadn't planned for the needs that exist, and what faculty deserve out of contract at this time."
Urbancic also said under the Trump administration, going on strike could have put the careers and liberties of international faculty at risk, and endangered research funding.
This week, the union's membership will vote on whether to ratify the agreement. If they reject it, a strike could be back on the table. Urbancic said it's very likely the ratification vote will be approved.
In a letter Sunday, UO's Provost Christopher Long celebrated an agreement that he said “invests in faculty and supports the long-term financial well-being of the university.”
“As we begin the Spring term, may the spirit of collective work that led us to this tentative agreement take root and grow,” wrote Long, “nourished by our shared commitment to one another, our students, and the entire university community.”
