NOT ALL CUTS ARE MADE EQUAL

Workers’ Sacrifices

  • September 2025 –  Faculty successfully fight back against the initial plan to lay off as many as ~25 tenured and tenure-track faculty and eliminate or reduce programs (see August heading below). UO leaders announce on Sept 8, 2025 that fewer workers will be cut among classified staff and faculty overall, and that no existing tenured faculty or programs will be eliminated. Instead, many vacant positions are eliminated. However, UO still plans to lay off an additional 7 Career faculty, 12 Classified staff, and an unknown number of OA positions. UO also notes they will reduce graduate programs.
  • August 2025 – UO announces layoff of five career faculty from the Oregon Hazards Lab, slated for September 26, due to failure of state to renew program funding via House Bill 3219. Credible rumors circulate about a plan to lay off as many as ~25 tenured and tenure-track faculty and eliminate or reduce programs like Religious Studies, REEES, German & Scandinavian, Classics, IRES, History, Math, Communications, and WGSS.
  • June 2025 – The UO lays off 42 employees in CAS, including career faculty, classified staff, OAs, and student workers.
  • AYs 2023-2025 – Throughout four subsequent union contract negotiations (GTFF, SEIU, UA, UOSW), the UO consistently cites budgetary problems as a rationale for wage offers which did not meet the rising cost of living and needs of workers. Three wage disputes nearly led to strikes, and one unit (UOSW) were forced to go on strike for several weeks for fair wages.

Students’ Sacrifices

  • September 2025 – UO leaders announce on Sept 8, 2025 that “the institution will be funding fewer new graduate employees in the future”, pushing graduate study out of reach for more students.
  • August 2025 – Additional student worker positions are eliminated.
  • June 2025 – Students lose beloved and respected career faculty instructors, all ASU7 staff, and OAs, for a total of 42 layoffs. Some student workers also lose their positions during this round of layoffs.

Will Leaders
Sacrifice?

  • June 3 – After stating several times that “everything is on the table” to deal with projected deficits, President Scholz clarifies that pay reductions for “highly paid” executives and upper administrators are not on the table (Watch the Town Hall).