The Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation, a union that represents the University of Oregon’s graduate employees, filed an Unfair Labor Practice complaint against UO on Jan. 10 after the school shifted its COVID-19 policies without consulting the union.
On Jan. 6, UO announced, “instructors may move courses that are experiencing 20% or more COVID-related student absences to synchronous online instruction,” and “instructors who remain in person are required to provide recorded versions of their courses to absent students.” However, the university administrators made these decisions without informing the GTFF or negotiating with it, a move that went against chapter 243.672 of Oregon’s Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act.
If the current case numbers are any indication, we shouldn’t have started winter term in-person, but that’s beside the point. Now the university is attempting to transition back to remote learning in the messiest and least committal way possible without taking the GTFF into consideration. Seeing as GEs serve as teachers in a large sum of our classes — approximately 950 GEs are teaching this term, according to the GTFF’s filed complaint — we should stand alongside them until the university meets their demands.
I reached out to Saul Hubbard, the media and communications manager of UO, for an official statement regarding the current union conflict. When asked if the university would meet the union’s demands, Hubbard said, “the university will address the legal filing through appropriate channels.” He provided no further comments regarding the current conflict between UO and the GTFF.
However, Mel Keller, president of the GTFF, was eager to discuss the issues the union currently faces.
“The lack of communication during the policymaking process was definitely a problem for us at GTFF,” Keller said. “Being treated as if we were not a full member of the bargaining process definitely sent a signal to our membership regarding how the university sees us — as an entity to deal with after the fact, rather than to bring into discussion.”
If UO wishes to continue to promote the image of an inclusive university, the administration shouldn’t publicly sideline its teachers’ unions. The GTFF has plenty of issues with the recent change in policy outside of not being negotiated with; for instance, the requirement for teachers to videotape and post their classes for students who choose to study remotely is a drastic change to the GEs current workplace environment.
“We have a number of concerns related to the recording requirement, namely the increased surveillance that would be leveled on instructors by their employer,” Keller said. “We want students and instructors to feel safe in the classroom sharing their opinion, and we feel that the recording policy would limit class discussion and prevent important conversations from taking place.”
Asking teachers who are still learning their craft to be under the constant surveillance of their employers is absurd and counterproductive to establishing a safe learning environment for the students. To combat the out-of-touch new requirement for filmed classes, the GTFF came out with a list of demands for the university on Jan. 17, prior to their demonstration outside Johnson Hall the following day.
“Our demands first and foremost ask the university to pivot to remote instruction when applicable so that students are no longer sitting in packed lecture halls, creating a health and safety risk for both students and our members,” Keller said. “We also are asking the university to both provide and require increased PPE for in-person workspaces.”
As of Jan. 18, the UO announced they would provide KN95 masks for faculty, staff and students; but this announcement only took place after the GTFF gathered outside of Johnson Hall. However, if the university only provides safety for its students and staff after public demonstrations, this could take a while.
What is really necessary to push UO to make changes that promote safety for students and staff faster is for the student body to speak out just as actively as the GEs have been. The ASUO announced on their Instagram that they would support the GTFF’s actions and demands, but there’s more we can do as individuals to assist.
According to Keller, students can help the GTFF by submitting their COVID-19 stories to the GTFF Instagram, attending rallies the union holds and speaking to professors about whether they feel safe attending classes in-person.
The UO student body should take every step to stand in solidarity with our graduate employees and fellow students.