AAUP News
May 12, 2014
Greetings everyone:
I hope this message finds you all well. Spring term is a very busy time and there are generally many festivities and much work to finish. Deadlines that were not met during the year seem to pop up about now!
Our new contract was ratified on the very day we were prepared to strike. We can take pride in our efforts and there are so many people to thank, including all of you. Please follow the link below the bargaining update to the 13-15 Collective Bargaining Agreement and remember...our work is never finished. We have to remain strong and keep ourselves at the ready for our next steps.
Bargaining Update from Leanne Serbulo
Thanks to members’ dedication, courage and hard work, we made some significant gains in our contract this biennium; however, there are still a few loose ends we need to tie-up. As many of you know, departments are in the process of rewriting their P&T guidelines to incorporate the new Non-Tenure Track faculty ranks recently passed by the Faculty Senate. PSU AAUP bargaining team and the Administration will be meeting this month to bargain over the new minimum salaries for these ranks. Minimum salaries will be determined for Senior Instructor II, Senior Research Assistant II, Senior Research Associate II and the Professor of Practice and Clinical Professor ranks. We welcome your input on where these new minimums should be set.
Now that OUS has signed-off on our contract, we should be receiving our 2.5% COLA raises in our checks at the end of this month. If you are a 9 month employee, your raise will be retroactive to February 1st. If you are a 12 month employee, your raise will be retroactive to January 1st. The new minimum salaries should also be awarded in this paycheck. You will receive whichever is higher, the COLA increase or the new minimum salary.
Finally, three new task forces were established in the contract—Academic Quality (with Faculty Senate, PSUFA and students), Family Friendly policies and Non-Tenure Track Faculty job security. If you would be interested in participating in any of these task forces, please let us know.
You can contact Leanne Serbulo or any bargaining team member (Gina Greco, David Hansen, Bob Liebman, Anh Ly, Pam Miller, Ron Narode, Mary King or Phil Lesch) with any ideas, concerns or questions you may have.
-Leanne Serbulo, VP of Collective Bargaining
Please click here for a PDF version of the current CBA 2013-2015
Ongoing Budget Update
PSU is having a budget town hall on Tuesday, May 27 between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in the SMSU Ballroom. We cannot let our guard down now. More than ever we have to question the budget, the need for “cuts”, and continue to demand transparency. Please come to this forum and think about questions that you or others in your department might pose to administration. Wear your lanyards and t-shirts!
Our colleagues at other Oregon universities are experiencing similar concerns. Through AAUP Oregon, we can work together at a state level to address keeping budgets open and fair, and to also develop a strategy to deal with the Boards that will start their work this summer. The Executive Council will share more of our thinking about this very soon. We are also collating the over 600 forms you all filled out when you voted last month. We need to hear what you want us to do to keep our momentum going. Please be in touch if you have ideas for next steps, would like to join ongoing efforts, or need to connect with your Executive Council and staff.
2014-2015 Executive Council Members
Pam Miller
President
Social Work
725-5010
millerp@pdx.edu
Leanne Serbulo
Vice President of Collective Bargaining
University Studies
serbulo@pdx.edu
José Padin
Vice President for Grievances & Academic Freedom
Sociology
725-8504
padinj@pdx.edu
Eva Núñez
Treasurer
World Languages and Literatures
725-8785
enunez@pdx.edu
Ted Donlan
Secretary
School of Social Work
725-8977
donlan@pdx.edu
Michael Clark
Coucilor
MCECS Dean Maseeh College
725-2417
mrclark@pdx.edu
Nancy Eichsteadt
Councilor
Education- CEED
725-5577
neichste@pdx.edu
Sam Gioia
Councilor
School of Social Work
725-8470
gioia@pdx.edu
Alexander Jokic
Councilor
Philosophy
725-3503
d8aj@pdx.edu
Karen Kennedy
Councilor
Undergraduate Advising & Support Center
725-8991
klkenned@pdx.edu
Patricia Schechter
Councilor
History
725-3007
schechterp@pdx.edu
Friedrich Schuler
Councilor
History
725-3696
schulerf@pdx.edu
Mary King
Immediate Past President
Economics
725-3940
kingm@pdx.edu
Staff
Phil Lesch
Executive Director
(503)-343-6082
phil@psuaaup.net
Tita Compere
Office Coordinator
(503)-725-4414
tita@psuaaup.net
Accolades and Good News!
Our union has lots to celebrate and I would like to share three wonderful accomplishments with you. First, Mary King, our immediate past president, will win the Hoffmann Award this year. This award is named after the late George C. Hoffmann, a former professor and Dean in the History Department. Academic Affairs describes this award as, “distinguished contribution to the University in the areas of instruction, university service, and scholarship performed in the spirit of humanism, civility, and collegiality with particular dedication to students and loyalty to the University.” Wow! Our union president won this award. This speaks volumes. My understanding is that Mary’s picture will be in the library beside all of the other past recipients of this award. This gives us all hope and energy to continue to work for the betterment of higher education with a strong union at our backs.
In addition to the Hoffmann award, Mary has also won the 2014 Marilyn Sternberg Award from AAUP’s Collective Bargaining Congress. This award is given annually to the “AAUP member who best demonstrates the concern for human rights, courage, persistence, political foresight, imagination, and collective bargaining skills.” AAUP goes on to state that this award, “ is not only recognition of Mary King’s intelligent leadership and dedication but also an act of encouragement to all faculty committed to regaining control of higher education.”
Our hats go off to you, Mary! You have left a legacy at PSU across the entire campus. PSU-AAUP salutes you! Thank you for everything!
Also, a big thank you goes out to students who were pivotal during the negotiations and who worked hard to help PSU-AAUP prepare for the possibility of a strike. Students’ involvement and commitment to changes in higher education are growing across the country. PSU students and their work with our campus community are now documented! Below, please find a link to an interview with Cameron Frank by the Green Shadow Cabinet. Cameron was at the bargaining table all the way (and did lots of other work) and will graduate from PSU in June. Congratulations, Cameron and thanks! We thank all of the students who gave time and energy and support to our efforts!
http://greenshadowcabinet.us/statements/portland-student-union-plays-key-role-faculty-union-win