PSU-AAUP Endorsements and Positions

 

Endorsements

Endorsement of Support House Bill HB 3471
Endorsement of Support of the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education
Endorsement of Support for the ASPSU/OSA sponsored April 25th Rally at the Capitol
Endorsement of Senate Bill SB 742
Endorsement of Support for Resolution on Tuition and Student Debt Statement
Endorsement of House Bill HB 3418
Endorsement of Support for Portland Jobs with Justice Portland Rising Rally
Endorsement of Support for Collective Bargaining Rights Position Statement
Endorsement of Support for the Affordable Health Care for All Oregon Plan
Endorsement of Support for SEIU Local 503 Contract Reopener
Endorsement of Susan Castillo for State Superintendant of Public Instruction
Endorsement of Oregon Measure 68
Endorsement of the May Day Walk
Endorsement of Judge Jack Landau for Oregon Supreme Court
Endorsement of March 5 march on Washington
Endorsement fo HJR-101, to be Oregon Measure 69
Participation in the Oregon Food Bank Governor's State Employee Food Drive
Endorsement of Senate Bill SB 1045
Endorsement of Senate Bill SB 897
Endorsement fo AFT- Sponsored Bill LC-5
Endorsement fo the SEIU-produced film "Sub-City"
Endorsement of the D5 March and Rally
Endorsement of the Defend Oregon Campaign; No on Measures 66 & 67
Endorsement of the Defend Oregon Studen Voter Registration Drive

Positions
1. OUS Restructuring Principles
2. Semester Conversion Principles
3. PSU-AAUP Condems use of U.S. Military to Escort Scab Grain Ship in Longview, WA

Endorsements

6/24/2011
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse Oregon House Bill 3471. This Bill, if enacted creates a free tuition program at Oregon Community Colleges and OUS institutions for students who grow up in the Oregon foster care system.

5/12/11
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education. The campaign is being launched by faculty organizations all over the U.S. to bring our voices- the faculty's voices- and our experience into the national debate over higher education. For more information on this grassroots campaign, please visit the following website: http://futureofhighered.org/

4/14/2011
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the ASPSU and OSA sponsored student rally at the capitol on April 25th, 2011.

4/7/2011
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse Oregon Senate Bill SB742. This bill, if enacted would exempt students who are not citizens or lawful residents of the United States from paying nonresident tuition and fees for enrollment in an institution of higher education in Oregon if they meet certain qualifications of having attended and graduated from and Oregon High School, and atteded school in the United States for a significant amount of their childhood.

4/7/2011
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the following Resolution on Tuition and Student Debt : Whereas, the State of Oregon has increasingly shifted the cost of public education from the State and the Nation to students and their families; Whereas, the proportion of young people with university degrees has fallen in the U.S.; Whereas, there is great social and private benefit from an educated citizenry; Whereas, student levels have risen to unconscionable and unsustainable levels; Be it therefor resolved, PSU-AAUP encourages the State and the Nation to lower higher education tuition rates and reassume the cost of public higher education.

3/28/2011
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse Oregon House Bill 3418. This Bill, if enacted creates a Task Force on Higher Education Student and Institutional Success.

3/10/2011
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse and participate in the Portland Jobs with Justice April 16th "Portland Rising" Rally for workers rights. More information can be found at: http://www.jwjpdx.org/campaigns/portland-rising

03/03/2011
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the following proposal by the Faculty Senate Steering Committee, to be presented to the Faculty Senate on Monday, March 7th, for discussion during the April meeting. The full proposal can be reviewed by clicking here.

03/03/2011
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the following as our official position statement concerning Collective Bargaining Rights:
"The American Assocation of University Professors- Portland State University supports Collective Bargaining Rights for all workers. We oppose any attempts to strip Collective Bargaining Rights from any worker who currently have such rights. This affirmation is in response to attacks on public employees in Wisconsin, Ohio, and other states considering the stripping of Collective Bargaining rights from public employees."

12/02/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council resolves to support the Affordable Health Care for All Oregon Plan ( House Bill 3510). The Affordable Health Care for All Oregon Plan is established to ensure
access to quality, patient-centered and affordable health care for all individuals living or
working in Oregon, to improve the public’s health and to control the cost of health care for
the benefit of individuals, families, businesses and society. This Bill can be reviewed through the following link: http://www.leg.state.or.us/11reg/measpdf/hb3500.dir/hb3510.intro.pdf

09/20/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council resolves to support the staff of Portland State University,
represented by SEIU local 503, in their effort to end their furlough status. We agree to write a letter expressing our position to PSU President Wim Wiewel, OUS Chancellor George Pernsteiner and the State Board Of Higher Education. We further agree to consider any other supportive action that PSU classified staff request of us.

04/29/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse Susan Castillo for State Superintendant of Public Instruction for the May 2010 Election.

04/29/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse Oregon Measure 68. This measure would allow the state to issue general obligation bonds and use the revenue from these bonds to pay some capital costs for local school districts.

04/22/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the May Day Walk. The May Day walk is an opportunity for grassroots community organizations, labor unions, faith communities, and individuals to join forces in raising awareness about problems in the community due to economic pressures, decreasing social programs, union attacks, unemployment, and corporate greed.

04/08/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse Judge Jack Landau for Oregon Supreme Court.

02/25/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to pass a Resolution of Support of a Labor-sponsored march on Washington for jobs, peace, and justice.

02/25/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the House Resolution, HJR-101, to be Oregon Measure 69. The constitutional ammendment will clarify the ability of public universities to use Article XI bonds to fund capital develpment. Sponsored by OUS.

01/28/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to support and participate in the Oregon Food Bank Governor's State Employee's Food Drive.

01/28/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse Senate Bill SB1045. This bill limits the use of credit history to be used for employment purposes.

01/28/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse Senate Bill SB 897. This is a PERS related bill that allows challenges to PERS allocations and retroactive payments. Upon passage of the bill, PERS members would be held harmless for State errors in calculations.

1/14/2010
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the AFT-sponsored Bill LC-5 in the special February session of the Oregon Legislature. This bill will remedy the section of PECBA which calls for double ballot election procedures in university faculty representational elections.

11/19/2009
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the SEIU-produced film, Sub-City. The council agreed to sponsor the film and a community event during which the film will be shown and discussion of Ballot Measures 66 and 67 will follow.

10/08/2009
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the D5 March and Rally.

10/01/2009
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the Defend Oregon Campaign and the campaign against tax initiative Oregon Measures 66 & 67. These initiatives negatively impact higher education funding.

10/01/2009
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council moved to endorse the Defend Oregon Student Voter Registration Drive.

Positions

1. OUS Restructuring Principles

OUS Restructuring: PSU-AAUP Principles
Adopted April 8, 2010

If restructuring occurs, PSU-AAUP believes that the following principles should be followed:

1. Restructuring should improve access to and quality of education for all students.

2. Restructuring must maintain collective bargaining for employees under the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act (PECBA), maintain health benefits through the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB), and maintain retirement benefits through the State of Oregon Public Employment Retirement System (PERS).

3. Arrangements for “flexibility” must not undermine employment stability and security for faculty.

4. No bargaining unit employees should lose work because of restructuring. Any new employment positions must be represented by the appropriate union.

5. The State of Oregon should immediately invest funds to ensure the start-up and ongoing success of restructuring.

6. Restructuring must have both a short and a long term plan with measurable benchmarks to help facilitate success.

7. Any restructuring of Public Higher Education must be based on careful research that evaluates other restructuring of public agencies such as OHSU and other public universities of similar size and mission.

8. All representative bodies of faculty must be involved in discussions, planning, and implementation of restructuring. With or without restructuring,

PSU-AAUP agrees on the following principles that could
help Oregon’s Public Universities:

1. Local institutional control over tuition management: PSU-AAUP can support local control of tuition if, and only if, the Portland State University mission of access continues to be met. Although cost and market factors are important, a public university must find ways to make higher education obtainable for all.

2. Ability to control capital expenditures and pursue alternative financing for capital improvements and operations: With a growing student body, Portland State University has struggled to meet space needs for classrooms, labs, and offices. Acquiring new space is imperative. PSU-AAUP agrees with the Presidential Consensus Principles that
“Universities should be allowed to issue bonds on their own faith and credit, while maintaining access to existing capital-financing mechanisms. The universities also should have the authority to seek operating and capital revenue from other public sources.”

3. Establishment of a state-funding floor per student to ensure that state contributions do not continue to decline: Portland State University cannot fulfill its access mission without reliable and adequate state support.

4. Money distributed by the State of Oregon for higher education must go to each institution proportionally per student credit hour: Portland State University has long subsidized students studying elsewhere in the Oregon University System. We can no longer afford to carry this burden for the rest of the state institutions.

5. Money generated by an individual institution through tuition and fees, grant overhead, and other means must stay at the respective institution.

6. The Oregon University System should fund each university to attract and retain high quality faculty: Faculty should earn salaries and benefits commensurate with the those of faculty at comparator institutions.

2. Semester Conversion Principles

PSU-AAUP Statement of Principles: Conversion to Semester Calendar
Adopted May 20, 2010

The Portland State University Chapter of the American Association of
University Professors (PSU-AAUP) strongly embraces the mission of
Portland State University (PSU). The faculty are united in their unwavering
commitment to excellence in student learning, scholarship, and service. As
a public institution in a large metropolitan area, it is important for PSU to
provide access to its educational degrees and programs, and diversity in its
faculty, staff, and student populations provides a rich environment that
“enhances the intellectual, social, cultural, and economic qualities of urban
life.”

Senate Bill 442 mandates that all state institutions of higher education
study conversion to a semester calendar. A report with findings and
recommendations must be made available to the legislature by October 10,
2010. As part of the process of collecting information for this report, a
request for input was directed to the Executive Director of AAUP at PSU.

We believe operating on a semester system has merit, but we would not
support a conversion without a comprehensive plan that minimizes the
negative consequences. Moreover, we are mindful that when PSU went
down this path in the late 1980s many faculty members expended
significant time and energy—much of it without compensation—planning
for the conversion, only to have it cancelled at the 11th hour.

PSU-AAUP asserts that the following conditions must be satisfied for the
success of any effort to conversion to a semester system of instruction
from the current quarter system.

Legislature

• Conversion must include sufficient and irrevocable upfront transition
funding for each faculty member and each department.

• Conversion—once begun—must include a commitment from the
legislature that it will be irreversible.

• Conversion must be statewide to include all post-secondary institutions.

• Conversion implementation must be integrated so that all institutional
calendars are synchronized in an effort to avoid negative impacts on
community college-university and K-12-university articulation.

Impact on Students

• Conversion cannot diminish the high quality education currently provided.

• Conversion must not result in any additional financial hardship.

• Conversion shall in no instance negatively impact the time-to-graduation.

• Conversion must include student support and input.

• Conversion should not limit access to higher education.

Faculty/Staff

• Conversion cannot proceed with necessary faculty participation unless
sufficient resources are provided for each faculty member and each
department.

• Conversion must include provisions for adjustments in promotion/tenure
procedures (e.g., tenure clock adjustments as needed).

• Conversion shall not increase current faculty workloads.

• Conversion must not negatively affect faculty compensation, including
health benefits and retirement.

Resources/Infrastructure

• Conversion must include a reasonable timeline for planning,
implementation, and evaluation/adjustment.

• Conversion must provide adequate (permanent) funding for full implementation and review.

• Conversion must not negatively impact resource/infrastructure
commitments already in place.

PSU-AAUP Condemns Use of U.S. Military to Escort Scab Grain Ship in Longview, WA

(Adopted Jan. 12, 2012)

Whereas, EGT, a joint venture led by multinational grain giant Bunge, agreed to hire union Longshoremen when accepting millions in taxpayer funds to build a huge new grain exporting terminal at the Port of Longview WA, but once the terminal was built has tried to void its contract and refused to hire ILWU labor. With the use of brutal police and courts and 220 arrests in the 225 member ILWU Local 21, EGT has managed to get enough scab grain across picket lines into the new terminal that EGT appears poised to load a ship soon in violation of their agreement with the port; and

Whereas, a solidarity caravan of thousands of union members and community activists -- endorsed by ILWU Locals 10 and 21, the S.F. and Cowlitz County (Longview) labor councils and many others -- is being organized to support our brothers and sisters in Longview, for an emergency mass protest when requested to do so, to confront union-busting by Wall Street on the Waterfront; and

Whereas, according to Longshore & Shipping News, within a month, the empty grain ship will be escorted by armed U.S. Coast Guard vessels and helicopters, from the mouth of the Columbia River to the EGT facility. The Coast Guard is an integral part of the US Armed Forces, operating under the Department of Homeland Security (except when engaged in combat operations abroad, as it did in Iraq, when it operates under the Navy); and

Whereas, this is the first known use of the US military to intervene in a labor dispute on the side of management in 40 years -- not since the Great 1970 Postal Strike when President Nixon called out the Army and National Guard in an (unsuccessful) attempt to break the strike. The use of the Armed Forces against labor unions is something you expect to see in a police state. This is part of a disturbing trend where the US military, acting as enforcers for the 1%, is poised to be used against our own people, as exemplified by the new law allowing the military to imprison US citizens indefinitely without trial; and

Whereas, now the US military, which has been oppressing, bombing and threatening other nations [a military that's paid for with the workers' taxes] is now being used against us, against American working people and our unions. To quote ILWU international President McEllrath: "ILWU's labor dispute with EGT is symbolic of what is wrong in the United States today. Corporations, no matter how harmful the conduct to society, enjoy full state and federal protection while workers and the middle class get treated as criminals for trying to protect their jobs and communities."

Therefore be it Resolved, that the Executive Council of the Portland State University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors condemns in the strongest terms the announced use of US Armed Forces (Coast Guard) to provide an armed sea and air escort for the empty grain ship, which is due to call at the new EGT grain terminal, Port of Longview, Washington, to load scab grain for export to Asia. We condemn this use of the military as part of a union-busting campaign to lower the cost of labor on the waterfront and destroy the union;

And be it further Resolved, that the PSU-AAUP join with allies in other cities on the West Coast to participate in any press conferences and demonstrations that are organized to denounce this use of the military to intervene in a labor dispute on the side of Wall Street on the Waterfront; And be it finally Resolved, that the Council circulate this resolution to affiliated unions and urge labor to take a strong stand against this brazen assault on our labor rights and civil liberties.