On Friday, March 13th, Oregon’s Employment Relations Board (ERB) ruled that PSU failed to bargain in good faith and interfered in The Portland State University Faculty Association (PSUFA)’s administration. The Board ordered PSU to cease and desist from these illegal practices which have obstructed PSU adjuncts’ ability to organize their union and to effectively fight for a much-needed new contract.
This comes after last year’s PSUFA Unfair Labor Practice victory, when the state board declared that the administration had unlawfully withheld critical adjunct emergency benefits funds.
The latest ERB ruling found:
- PSU neglected its duty to provide basic information about members, such as detailed lists of newly hired adjuncts, in a timely and accurate fashion.
- PSU failed to promptly and meaningfully respond to your bargaining team’s requests for information on critical topics related to your job security protections, impeding the team’s ability to negotiate your new contract.
In the words of the judge, this administration has demonstrated a “cavalier approach” to the workplace rights of unionized PSU adjuncts. PSUFA enters mediation next month.