Unionizing faculty could lead to higher salaries for University professors, more generous state allocations to the University and greater faculty influence in campus affairs, panelists at two meetings held on campus this week argued.
The United Academics of the University of Oregon organized the meetings, held Tuesday and Wednesday.
The first meeting was a panel discussion featuring several professors from unionized campuses across the country. The second focused on the relationship between faculty Senates and professors’ unions.
Ezra Zubrow, a professor and faculty union board member from the State University of New York, Buffalo, said a unionized faculty can lobby the state legislature independently, as well as hire forensic accountants to review funding and budgets. He said academic unions can wield “a huge amount of political strength.”
While most of the attendees seemed receptive to the idea, others were more critical.
University Senate Vice President Nathan Tublitz said he was “not entirely convinced” of the panelists’ arguments, specifically the claim that unionizing would lead to increased state funding.
“Higher education only makes up 7 percent of the state budget,” Tublitz said. “I’m not sure the premise that you put forward holds true for Oregon.”
One administrator at the meeting, who refused to identify herself to an Emerald reporter, said fear of retaliation stopped some from coming to the meetings.
“Officers of administration are very afraid,” she said. “Some are not in this room because they’re afraid. Some are so afraid they wouldn’t even pick up a flier about unionization. There’s a lot of fear on this campus.”
The meeting of panelists was followed by a Wednesday lecture by Zubrow, discussing the importance of a faculty Senate and union alliance.
“With a new University President and Senate President, it seems like it’s time to think about creating a stronger governance on campus,” Zubrow said.
The small audience, made up of professors and union representatives, discussed the potential relationship between a union and the faculty Senate.
Zubrow, who also spoke at the second meeting, and Tublitz disagreed on the role of the faculty Senate on campus. Tublitz said the Senate should “rule the University.” Zubrow countered that power should simply be better balanced.
The idea for unionizing the faculty and staff of the University has been percolating for a number of years, but hasn’t been as close to finalization since the mid-1970s, professor Sarah Douglas said. In the meantime, professors at the meeting argued, faculty power has diminished tremendously.
“It’s unbelievable the lack of representation our faculty receives,” Douglas said after the Wednesday meeting. “As a tenured professor, I feel responsible to speak up for those with even less reliable contracts.”
A tenured professor’s employment is renewed every two to three years.
“This is not the way professional people should be treated,” Douglas said. “In a union, we will have the power to negotiate with the University contracts, and legally investigate how the University’s budget is dispersed.”
Marie Vitulli, a University math professor who is active in the UAUO, said in an e-mail that a group of tenured and non-tenured faculty began talking about unionizing in early 2007. In 2008, the group invited two national professors’ unions to speak on campus.
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