As spring term continues, two labor unions on campus are bargaining for raises in their next contract at the University of Oregon.
United Academics, the UO faculty union, is proposing a 7 percent raise for the 2015-2016 academic year and a 6.5 percent raise for 2017-2018.
UO is offering no raise for 2015-2016 and a 1 percent raise for 2016-2017.
United Academics President Michael Dreiling considers the lack of a raise “insulting” and sees it as a pay cut considering the increase in the cost of living.
Dreiling said the UA’s proposals will prevent faculty from being “poached” from other universities and retaining faculty.
Senior Director of Employee and Labor Relations Bill Brady said that the university is working with a tight budget and has unknown insurance costs for many employees next year.
The total compensation for all faculty continues to rise, according to Brady, as the university continues to cover increases in health insurance and retirement benefits.
Dreiling acknowledged the cost of the union’s proposals and suggested using the university’s budget reserves to cover that cost; but according to Brady, that is not possible as they are not continually replenished.
“Salary increases represent a continuing increase to the total amount the institution pays each year in salaries,” Brady said. “This increase would be a continuing cost to the university without a continuing revenue source to cover it.”
Dreiling also criticized the university’s proposal for 20 percent of the 2016-2017 merit raise to be distributed at the sole discretion of the dean of any given school, as some faculty may not get a raise the second year of the contract. According to Brady, this is an effort to remedy an issue from the last contract.
“It was a common occurrence that in very small departments, top performers were never able to get more than the average because if everyone in the department was rated highly, they would all get the same amount,” Brady said. “By holding money back at the dean’s level, deans are able to augment merit increases for highly meritorious faculty. ”
The Service Employees International Union faces a similar struggle as members of UO’s classified staff bargain for a new contract alongside all the seven public universities of Oregon. According to Johnny Earl, the local SEIU’s chief bargaining delegate, the union wants a 2 percent increase over the two years of the contract. They are being offered 0.5 percent every six months.
According to Brady, no decision has been made in regard to salary increases for administrators, though he said increases in the past have been similar to what the faculty were given. The decision will be made by the new UO President Mike Schill.
Talk of staff and faculty salary increases follows the hiring of Schill, who will earn a salary of $660,000 annually plus benefits. This is a $116,000 salary increase from former president Michael Gottfredson’s salary of $544,000.
“I’m hoping that the extra investment in the new president pays off because we need a great leader,” Dreiling said. In Dreiling’s eyes, the path to academic success and great faculty is through investment.
“The University of Oregon cannot be sustained as a major university unless we invest whole-heartedly into the academic core functions of the university,” Dreiling said. “Right now, that means about 2,000 faculty across campus, the departments and the staff, they need to be the focus.”
“Not a big zero.”
Follow Francesca Fontana on Twitter @francescamarief