On Friday, Nov. 3, members of GTFF voted on a strike authorization. The turnout for the vote was 1,019 members, according to GTFF. That vote for strike authorization allows the union to go on strike if they don’t agree to a contract by Nov. 27.
“Our members have shown that they’re ready to win a historic contract, whatever the cost,” Matt McIntosh, vice president of organizing for GTFF, said.
With GTFF having the green light from their members to call a strike if needed, the possibility of classroom disruption looms large.
At UO, GEs have a wide range of responsibilities. GEs are leading discussions, grading assignments, conducting research, performing administrative duties and even teaching entire sections of courses. The impacts of a GE strike will be felt across every aspect of student involvement and most every major at UO.
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest academic department at UO. CAS has over 50 majors and more than 70 minors, while also having 36 masters programs and 25 doctoral programs. In August, leadership for CAS released an academic continuity plan.
CAS covers a wide range of topics, including biology, chemistry, history, languages, mathematics, psychology, writing and public speaking. Two-thirds of all students will take classes through CAS.
The August continuity plan called for sweeping changes in all programs and courses that GEs impact. The plans call for combining classes of the same section of courses, moving courses to remote, abbreviating information or omitting “less-critical” information for courses and shifting to less labor-intensive assignments. The plan also calls for hiring “undergraduate students or others” to help with grading, instructional support and other assistance.
Outside of the CAS academic continuity plan, UO has an established plan for all areas of the university. The office of the Provost has an outlined policy on academic continuity that establishes a framework to allow classes to keep going in the event of a “significant disruption to academic activities,” according to the Provost’s website. There are three general scenarios where these plans come into play.
The first is a loss of teaching and learning facilities, including loss of public infrastructure or access to facilities. The second is a significant reduction in faculty, staff and student attendance related to illness, natural disasters or other events. The third is a need to provide instruction without face-to-face contact.
It is the second scenario that a strike would create.
Under scenario two, each school or college at UO will select a team that will coordinate the implementation of the academic continuity plan. That team will be comprised of the most knowledgeable and experienced faculty in their respective department or school.
Under the current potential strike timeline, the end of the cooling-off period will be Nov. 27. If a strike begins, it could greatly disrupt week 10 of the term, when many students will be in the midst of final projects, term papers, tests and exams.
If GTFF calls for a strike on Monday of week 10, the university’s academic continuity plan allows for schools and colleges to “redefine what it takes to be considered a course to be completed in light of performance to date.” This provision allows for any outstanding coursework from the beginning of the strike date until the end of the term to be excused and not required to complete the course.
One GE who talked under the condition of anonymity and leads a course within CAS said, “My class is 190 students. Will the administration in CAS really combine my course, my fellow GE’s course and the professor that leads their own class into one large course for two weeks? Over 600 students and one professor to grade their last project and a 150-question final.”
Another GE who also wished to remain anonymous said, “I won’t be a scab if we strike, but I will be making sure my classes are essentially done and graded as much as possible by Monday, Nov. 27.”
The academic continuity plan calls for the use of emergency grading if needed. According to UO’s policies, emergency grades “may be temporary or permanent depending on circumstances.” Emergency grades take the place of a fully graded course and can be listed as either PE: Satisfactory performance, NE: Less than satisfactory performance or IE: Incomplete due to significant academic disruption. A PE emergency grade counts toward academic credit. One academic advisor explained it as a pass option in a pass-no-pass class. An NE emergency grade would be a no-pass grade in a pass-no-pass class. An IE would mean the course had to stop and couldn’t be replicated effectively in the case of a campus state of emergency, such as a GE strike. IE grades wouldn’t be likely for any courses with a GE strike landing in week 10 of the term because there has been an adequate amount of time and work established in the term.
While UO has a framework for how to move forward with a possible strike of over 1,400 student-employees, each college and school will determine the specifics of how an academic continuity plan will look for them and their students.
GTFF and UO still have two more mediation sessions scheduled. The first will be on Thursday, Nov. 9, and the second will be on Monday, Nov. 20. With GTFF already having the authorization to strike, GTFF hopes that UO recognizes that they don’t intend to back down until they get a contract that makes sense for them and their members.
“We remain committed to reaching an agreement with the GTFF bargaining team on a successor contract while also fulfilling our responsibilities to ensure academic and research continuity in the event that the GTFF issues a strike notice. We greatly value graduate employees and the critical work they do,” a spokesperson for UO said.
“This vote sends a very clear message that our members are not willing to tolerate the financial precarity that UO wants to perpetuate for another three-year contract,” Leslie Selcer, GTFF president, said. “We can’t live like this. UO must bring us fair wages that reflect the value of GE labor and years of dramatic increases to the local cost of living.”
