It was a story the Labor Press missed at the time, but a campus-wide revolt at University of Oregon (UO) last summer could serve as a case study about how to fight job cuts.
Last August, in response to a claimed budget shortfall, UO was looking to cut about 30 tenure-track faculty and terminate as many as 10 academic programs. This was after the school imposed an earlier round of layoffs in June.
United Academics of University of Oregon (AFT-AAUP Local 3209) launched a multi-pronged effort to stop the cuts — in coordination with the University Senate, student government, and three other campus labor unions. It filed grievances. It spread the word on social media with videos, budget FAQs, and a “cuts tracker.” It lobbied alumni, donors, and state and local elected officials. It appealed to national academic associations. At campus meetings and football games, members gathered close to 3,000 signatures on a letter opposing the cuts.
The furor drew coverage from Eugene-area media to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the premier media outlet covering academia. With its national reputation at risk, UO President Karl Scholz pledged Sept. 8 that no tenure-related faculty would be laid off or degree programs eliminated.
MORE Read AFT-AAUP’s full report on its campaign here.
CORRECTION: As initially published, this article said that UO President Karl Scholz pledged that “no faculty” would be laid off. In fact the pledge was to lay off no tenure-track faculty; in September, five non-tenure-track faculty were laid off. The union is fighting some of those layoffs through a grievance and arbitration process.
