Oregon Tech Faculty vote to authorize strike by overwhelming margin
/
“The students at Oregon Tech deserve better and our faculty have come together with one voice to say that—while we absolutely do not want to strike—we are ready to take this action to ensure our faculty are treated with respect and our students provided the highest quality education.”
The following is a press release from the Oregon Tech American Association of University Professors.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - Faculty organized through Oregon Tech – American Association of University Professors (OT-AAUP) voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike this week. If OT-AAUP is forced to strike, it will be the first time any university faculty have gone on strike in Oregon history.
As of the close of the vote on Friday, 96% of faculty had cast their votes; 92% of those votes were in favor of strike authorization.
This does not mean that faculty will strike, but it means that the members of the union have widely agreed that OT-AAUP leadership is allowed to call for one if an agreement is not reached.
“The students at Oregon Tech deserve better and our faculty have come together with one voice to say that—while we absolutely do not want to strike—we are ready to take this action to ensure our faculty are treated with respect and our students provided the highest quality education,” said OT-AAUP president Sean St.Clair.
Oregon Tech faculty organized in 2018 over an ongoing struggle to secure fairer labor practices. Bargaining of their first contract began in fall 2019 and has continued for over 500 days without reaching a contract.
Oregon Tech administration declared an impasse on March 10, 2021, indicating they felt negotiations with the union were no longer making progress. Their last, best, and final offer was presented to faculty on March 17, and OT-AAUP also presented a final offer. Final offers are followed by a mandatory 30-day cooling-off period. After that period ends, the administration may unilaterally implement their final offer, and faculty are allowed to strike. The last day of the cooling-off period is April 17.
The final offer by the Oregon Tech administration did not define faculty workload and left all workload definitions to the discretion of management. This would leave faculty vulnerable to increases in workload without any increase in compensation. This would come at a time when many faculty already work beyond their contract hours to teach the courses students need to graduate.
The offer also left out any possibility of raises for the cost of living and increased the cost of health care benefits for families. “The increased cost of health care under the administration’s plan would be like being demoted from associate professor to assistant,” said one faculty member.
Negotiations will continue through the cooling-off period. OT-AAUP remains committed to securing a fair contract and fighting for fair wages, secure benefits, and reasonable, clearly defined workload for Oregon Tech faculty.