Workload protections: Career faculty cannot have their duties increased to cover lost personnel without an increase in FTE, earning extra pay, or having some other comparable responsibilities removed from their duties (CBA, Article 16, Section 11). 

If you feel like your workload has been (or will be) increased due to layoffs, you should begin tracking your work and fill out our Workload Survey. You can also email info@uauoregon.org if the workload issue is more urgent.

“A bargaining unit faculty member’s employment may be terminated upon the determination by the President that a demonstrably legitimate financial need for program elimination or reduction exists.” (Article 25, Section 4).

• In other words, UO must demonstrate a legitimate financial need for any and all faculty layoffs. Article 25 cannot and has never been used as a remedy for financial difficulties—as it is now being used to justify layoffs (see below).
  

“The above determinations must be made pursuant to university procedures providing for faculty and other appropriate input and be based on financial or academic considerations that reflect long-range judgments about the academic mission of the university. Legitimate considerations allowing termination do not include cyclical or temporary variations in enrollment, or finances” (Article 25, Section 6).

• We believe that temporary variations in enrollment are part of what we are currently facing—not a situation of such fiscal exigency that it would allow for suspension of normal faculty governance rules or our contract.
• Thus, even if UO has demonstrated a legitimate need for layoffs, colleges and departments are still subject to college and department-level unit policies, including ones around shared governance for significant programmatic cuts and/or changes. 
• You and your co-workers should familiarize yourselves with the policies of your unit, which are available on the Provost’s website.

The administration may not cherry-pick faculty to lay off. Instead, any and all layoffs must be the consequence of pedagogical or programmatic reforms, implemented to adapt to changes in higher education generally.

• When layoffs happen, programmatic needs come first, meaning academic departments should help decide who stays:
  • If multiple faculty meet the needs, layoffs are based on who can do the work, then on seniority, and finally on rank.
  • Seniority considerations could also be taken into account when a unit transfer is possible. 
  • The layoffs process should also consider equity goals.
    

Layoff Notice Periods:

• Our contract specifies a 30-day layoff notice for first-year Career faculty, and at least 90-days for those in their second year and beyond.

• If hired at a promoted rank, you should receive 180-days notice unless it’s for performance. 

• Faculty who have been promoted or passed a continuous employment review are entitled to 365-days notice.