The faculty’s fight is ours, too
The union representing faculty at Portland State University (PSU) has issued a 10-day strike notice, setting April 16 as the first day of a walkout if administrators don't meet its demands. The strike would be the first-ever for the union and comes after nearly a year of negotiations in which educators and their supporters have been seeking long-term contracts for fixed-term faculty, fair salaries for all educators, and greater input into decisions at the university. By contrast, administrators want to strip faculty of input over tenure and promotion policies.
The PSU faculty has support from other campus staff, the community and especially students. In this statement issued the day the union issued its strike notice, the explains why it is standing with the faculty.
THE PORTLAND State University Student Union (PSUSU) stands behind Portland State University's full-time faculty union's decision to call a strike. We recognize the need for this drastic step in the fight to improve educational quality at PSU.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) delivered official notice of their intent to strike to President Wim Wiewel's administration early [on April 3], making it the first public university administration in Oregon history to be served with a strike notice. This decision comes after nearly one year of stalled contract negotiations. Members of PSUSU have been at the bargaining table throughout negotiations and have witnessed the PSU administration's refusal to settle an AAUP contract, which puts academic quality, job security, fair wages and faculty participation in university policy decisions at the forefront.
What is at stake is nothing less than the future of Portland State. The administration wants to deny professors any significant input in the decisions that set the course for instruction at this university. PSUSU members recognize faculty input as being critical to insure that the education we receive is driven by the quality of academics rather than the whims of the market. We are the ones most affected by the outcomes of this contract struggle.
With faculty denied participation in determining workload, class sizes, performance evaluation and other elements critical to instruction, the quality of education at Portland State will deteriorate as tuition--and student debt--continue to rise. With students financing 80 percent of operations at the university, PSUSU firmly believes that this is an unacceptable trajectory. We are unwilling to pour money into a university that does not put students first. PSUSU stands with professors because they're fighting for the education we need and deserve.
"When I look at what's going on with the professors, I see my own struggle as a student," said junior Christina Kane. "Professors work more for less while I pay more and receive less. At this point, it's those at the top against everybody else. I stand with professors because our struggle is one and the same."
