No agreement; looking to next week

I’m disappointed to report that we have ended another day of mediation with the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation without agreement. We had hope of bringing this issue to a close prior to finals week, but our next mediation is now scheduled for Tuesday. 

Despite the setbacks, we remain committed to the collective bargaining process. We are confident that an agreement will be reached and that we will soon be able to focus our attention on a successful winter term.

We continue to look for creative ways to find common ground, which can only happen when both parties feel their underlying interests have been met. The university believes strongly that flex time and a student assistance fund will best serve the medical and parental hardship needs of our graduate students. Unfortunately, the GTFF remains focused on the concept of automatic paid leave, even though our current offer provides greater flexibility in schedule for our GTFs and, for many of our GTFs, access to greater funds to offset financial hardships.

In the meantime, let’s all remember we’re part of this shared university community. I hope to be able to take some time, either at the Matthew Knight Arena watch party or at home, to enjoy tonight’s PAC 12 championship game as a reminder of the passion we feel for our University of Oregon.

There is nothing more important than meeting our academic mission and the needs of our students. I want to thank each and every one of the thousands of faculty, staff and students for their patience and dedication during this tough time.

I would also like to thank our bargaining team and our continuity operations team of UO employees for their dedication and perseverance this week. It’s important to note, however, that there is more work to be done. Hopefully, we will be in a place soon where we can begin to focus on smoothly transitioning our GTFs back to work.   

While next week is crunch time for our students that will be taking final exams, it is also crunch time for those who need to complete grading and implement contingency plans. Let’s keep pulling together so that our students continue to be minimally impacted by this challenging situation. Regardless of your perspective, send positive thoughts to those at the bargaining table. No one wants to see a strike continue and we will stay in mediation for as long as it takes to find agreement.

Thank you for your continued work and understanding.

Scott Coltrane
Interim President