PRESS RELEASE: Oregon Tech Faculty Strike Vote Progresses; Administration won’t budge on salary issue

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
March 26, 2021

This week Oregon Tech faculty continue voting on whether or not they will strike in response to a disappointing last, best, and final offer from the administration. See full press release below.

Contact
Oregon Tech AAUP
Email: unite@oregontechaaup.org

Klamath Falls, Oregon – Faculty organized through Oregon Tech – American Association of University Professors (OT-AAUP) are deciding next week on whether to authorize a strike after over 450 days at the bargaining table and no contract.

If Oregon Tech faculty are pushed to strike by their administration, it will be the first time a faculty union has done so in Oregon history.

OT-AAUP faculty are seeking fair compensation, secure benefits, and reasonable and clearly defined workloads.

The administration has proposed a “merit-based” pay structure, while OT-AAUP has proposed a more holistic approach that includes adjustments for market comparison, cost of living, salary compression, and promotion and tenure. This is a crucial issue for faculty.

Why is “merit” pay unfair?

A “merit” pay system does not necessarily reward workers in proportion to their skill. Instead, it sets aside a pool of money to reward only those deemed most worthy at the discretion of their employer–in this case, Oregon Tech. This makes workers compete against each other for a limited number of possible raises, instead of providing raises equitably.

“It seems to be an oxymoron to go that way when we would never grade student work in that manner as educators,” said one faculty member who requested to remain anonymous.

Furthermore, when merit pools are small, as is often the case, they have a negative effect on workers. Trust between faculty and the administration is not at a level for faculty to allow this policy the benefit of the doubt.

As Oregon Tech administration’s final offer states, “All compensation increases are merit increases and will be based on the assessment of the bargaining unit member’s job performance, as measured in the bargaining unit member’s Annual Performance Evaluation (“APE”).” This means that cost of living adjustments (COLA) and raises for tenure and promotion would be eliminated.

“It’s the Hunger Games for compensation. That and the possible loss of PEBB benefits are what put this proposal into strike territory for me,” said Seth Anthony, a chemistry professor.

During a global pandemic, Oregon Tech administration is proposing to reduce employer premium coverage for faculty members with families by 10 percent, effectively cutting pay for any faculty members caring for partners and children. Furthermore, they are asking faculty to bear the entirety of any increases in premium costs and won’t commit to the Public Employee Benefits Board (PEBB) as the benefits provider. Many of Oregon Tech’s departments have been hoping to fill vacant faculty positions, some for years, and this change in policy will make recruitment more challenging at its residential location in Klamath Falls as well as other campuses in Portland, Seattle, and Salem.

Why is a holistic approach better?

OT-AAUP’s proposal is built on an approach that clearly outlines salaries for faculty at all levels and in all disciplines, based on compensation at other schools like Oregon Tech. Approaches that take into account the market are fairer in general, but don’t provide administrators with the latitude they might want. They make hiring and promotion clearer, giving employees the certainty they need to keep growing and developing as professionals in the classroom and lab.

The union proposal also preserves cost of living adjustments and raises for promotion, tenure, and post-tenure review.

“I had to be in this job for six years before I was able to afford to buy a house, and that was before the housing market ticked up in Klamath Falls,” another faculty member said. “We won’t be able to keep up with the cost of living on ‘merit’ raises alone.”

Oregon Tech’s administration chose to declare impasse on March 10th, but negotiations will continue through the mandated 30 day cooling-off period.

OT-AAUP will continue to work tirelessly to secure a fair contract for the hard-working faculty of Oregon Tech.

OT-AAUP Mission:

We are the united faculty of Oregon Tech. Through teaching, outreach, and scholarship, we generate and share knowledge to advance the lives of students, the well-being of communities, and the understanding of the world in which we live. We believe that an empowered and organized faculty will help build a better Oregon Tech for current and future generations, which is why we are organizing our union. https://oregontechaaup.org/

OT-AAUP principles:

• Defend and implement the principles of public education so that students of diverse backgrounds are provided opportunities to excel.
• Champion academic freedom, rigorous discourse, and scientific inquiry so that all members of the university community are encouraged and supported in their endeavors to contribute to the mission of Oregon Tech.
• Uphold shared governance of the university characterized by open and responsible communication, fair treatment of individuals, participatory processes, and collaborative decision-making.
• Secure working conditions that promote and protect excellence and innovation in all aspects of faculty life at Oregon Tech.

About AAUP: The mission of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is to advance academic freedom and shared governance; to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education; to promote the economic security of faculty, academic professionals, graduate students, post‐doctoral fellows, and all those engaged in teaching and research in higher education; to help the higher education community organize to make our goals a reality; and to ensure higher education’s contribution to the common good. Founded in 1915, the AAUP has helped to shape American higher education by developing the standards and procedures that maintain quality in education and academic freedom in this country’s colleges and universities. https://www.aaup.org

Press contact: unite@oregontechaaup.org

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