National Day of Action: 4/17

PSUFA is participating in the National Day of Action, Wednesday April 17, a nationwide mobilization calling for publicly funded higher education for all, freedom to teach and learn, job security and fair pay, equity and racial justice, and democratic governance of our institutions! Read more about The Future We Stand For, endorsed by our comrades and colleagues across the country.

There are two events on Wednesday April 17 for the National Day of Action and you can join online or in person.

Join Faculty First Responders for a presentation and discussion on Academic Freedom & Palestine from the Standpoint of Contingency. 4/17 - 12:30-1:30 FMH b134 or via Zoom.

Watch Party: National Day of Action Teach-In. 4/17 - 2:00-3:00 FMH 101 or register for Zoom link here.

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Join Faculty First Responders for a presentation and discussion on Academic Freedom & Palestine from the Standpoint of Contingency. 

As a US-funded, Israeli genocide is underway in Gaza, the imperative to speak truth to power in the classroom and on campus has never been more urgent. Yet, across university campuses and here at PSU, breaking the silence on injustice in Palestine and calling for an end to violence against Palestinians has often resulted in repression and retaliation–long before the genocidal war that began after October 7, 2023. How do we, academic workers at PSU, fulfill our commitment to social justice and antiracism in this climate? How are students and contingent academic workers without job security uniquely impacted when speaking truth to power? And what are proactive measures you can take to exercise your academic freedom without reprisal? 

Faculty First Responders joins the PSU community to present and facilitate a conversation on academic freedom, right-wing attacks on faculty and student organizing, and how we organize to protect ourselves and respond to these threats. The experience of contingent academic workers–adjunct faculty, graduate workers and students–will be centered. “Job security is necessary to the freedom to teach and learn,” as stated in the National Day of Action’s The Future We Stand For. This means that in order to educate about and advocate for justice in Palestine and beyond we must also struggle against gig work in higher education. Co-sponsored by PSUFA and PSU Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine

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Watch Party: National Day of Action Teach-In 

Faculty, students, and campus workers discuss the future we stand for and the organizing work that will get us there. Join your PSU colleagues to watch the Teach-In live streamed.

Please be sure to REGISTER for the National Teach-In taking place this Wednesday 4/17 at 5 p.m. EDT.  You can register at the Day of Action website.

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Teach-In Speakers:

Jason Wozniak is an organizer with Debt Collective. He coordinates Debt Collective's Jubilee School and works on a variety of debt abolition projects with Debt Collective's Pennsylvania branch.

Isaac Kamola is an associate professor of political science at Trinity College, Hartford, CT. He is author of Free Speech and Koch Money: Manufacturing a Campus Culture War (with Ralph Wilson, 2021) and Making the World Global: US Universities and the Production of the Global Imaginary (2019), along with dozens of journal articles and book chapters. He is currently the director of the Mellon-funded Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom at the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).

Erica Thomas is an adjunct professor in University Studies at Portland State University and Chair of the Political Action Committee for the PSUFA.

Rana Jaleel is Associate Professor of Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Davis and Chair of the AAUP’s Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure.

Moderator Irene Mulvey is President of AAUP National.

PSUFA Winter Term Town Hall

Join PSUFA for Our Winter Term Town Hall!

Have you ever wondered how taking leave works, or what you're entitled to as an adjunct? Well there's good news! Your adjunct faculty union is hosting a hybrid Town Hall on Friday, February 2, from 4:00-5:30p.m. with a special topic: Leaves!

Every term adjuncts reach out to us with questions about how to access sick leave and the other forms of leave we are entitled to. In your union's upcoming Town Hall, we will take a deep dive into the topic, answer your questions and learn more about new benefits through the Paid Leave Oregon program. Please RSVP and submit your questions about leave in this form and we will prepare answers to share at the Town Hall.

Join us on Friday, February 2 from 4:00-5:30p.m. for this conversation, union updates, and more, in person in the union office (B134, Fariborz Maseeh Hall) or over Zoom. RSVP here for more information and Zoom link.

Your PSU Unions Defend the Right to Academic Freedom

Cross-Union Solidarity Statement in support of free Academic & Political Speech on campus

artwork courtesy Parusha Naidoo/Just Seeds

PSU’s labor unions PSUFA​, GEU​,and SEIU​ have co-authored a joint statement reinforcing our shared commitment to freedom of political and academic speech on campus in our monthly Together4PSU meeting.

​The language, principles and demands in this shared statement are modeled on the defense of academic freedom recently articulated by our colleagues at AAUP national​. Your PSU campus unions have a crucial role to play in asserting and defending your rights to express opposition to all forms of violence and bigotry and to articulate solidarity with all people subject to violence and discrimination, without fear of reprisal.

Cross-Campus Union Solidarity Statement

Recently, students and faculty at Portland State University have reported attempts by other faculty members and students to censor views on the current conflict in the Middle East that advocate for justice in Palestine, and/or frame the conflict as part of an ongoing colonial occupation. These instances of harassment, slander, intimidation and silencing at Portland State University, though from a minority, are of great concern to our campus unions due to the threats they present to job security and their chilling of speech and a range of views on these subjects. 

The SEIU, GEU and PSUFA unions at Portland State University reaffirm the rights of all students, faculty and staff to express their viewpoints free of harassment, slander, intimidation, and threats to their livelihoods and safety. We are also committed to the equal rights of Palestinians and Israelis to live in dignity and safety, and oppose any discrimination based on identity or political views, including anti-Arab or anti-Muslim racism, and antisemitism. 

To protect faculty, staff, and students from violence, intimidation, and censorship as they express their views on campus and for the broader public, the campus unions of PSU call on university administrations to:

• Commit to fully protecting the academic freedom of their faculties to teach, conduct research, and speak out about important issues both on and off campus, as called for in Academic Freedom in Times of War.

• Protect the freedom of students to express their positions on such issues on and off campus. Students should be free to organize and join associations to promote their common interests, and students and student organizations should be free to examine and discuss all questions of interest to them and to express opinions publicly and privately, in the words of the AAUP’s Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students.

• Safeguard the independence of colleges and universities by refusing to comply with demands from politicians, trustees, donors, faculty members, students and their families, alumni, or other parties that would interfere with academic freedom.

We remind our university’s leadership that their duty is to protect the academic freedom, free speech, and associational rights of faculty, staff, and students to speak on all topics of public or political interest without fear of intimidation, retaliation, or punishment.

Signed,
GEU Executive Council
PSUFA Executive Council
SEIU Executive Council

References:

https://www.chronicle.com/article/scholars-who-study-the-middle-east-are-afraid-to-speak-out

https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/labor-teachers-union-ceasefire-gaza-israel/

https://www.aaup.org/news/polarizing-times-demand-robust-academic-freedom

https://www.aaup.org/report/legislative-threats-academic-freedom-redefinitions-antisemitism-and-racism

https://mesana.org/advocacy/letters-from-the-board/2023/10/16/mesa-board-statement-on-palestine-and-israel

New Contract Changes Ratified!

PSUFA Members,

The votes have been counted and you have made your collective voice heard!

With record voting turnout,
PSUFA Members have voted in support of ratification by more than 99%!

Ratification of new contract language provides all Adjuncts at PSU a 10% COLA that goes into effect this Fall term, among many other increases and additions to our existing collective bargaining agreement (CBA). You can download and review the new contract language that will be added to our CBA here: Ratified 2023–2025 PSUFA CBA Language [PDF].

These changes to our contract are a HUGE win for Adjuncts at PSU and it wouldn’t have been possible without YOUR participation, engagement, collective action, and solidarity throughout the bargaining process!

As we look ahead to 2025, when our contract negotiations begin anew, we must keep this incredible and inspiring momentum going. Keep an eye on your email for opportunities to get involved, and reach out to the PSUFA Executive Council if you want to help continue to strengthen our union over the next year!

In Solidarity,

PSUFA Bargaining Team
Ariana, Lyndsie, Vasiliki, Brittney, Alison, Rob, and David

Tentative Agreement Details

PSUFA Members,

Administration thought that YOU would back down. They expected you to believe their austerity narrative and cower in fear. They expected you to accept the bare minimum. BUT YOU SAID NO! Because of your resounding demands for a FAIR CONTRACT NOW, your attendance at bargaining sessions, your willingness to participate in collective action, and persistent pressure via articles in local news media and the Solidarity Letter signed by over 19 elected local legislators…

Your PSUFA Bargaining Team is happy to announce that a Tentative Agreement (TA) with the University has been reached in this economic reopener.

But we’re not done yet! The language of the TA is still being finalized, and once this is completed PSUFA Membership will be asked to VOTE to RATIFY the proposed contract. In the coming days we will have more information for our members about how and when to cast your vote on the TA. Be sure to keep in mind:

YOU MUST BE A DUES-PAYING MEMBER TO VOTE ON RATIFICATION OF THIS TA.

In order to become a member—if you are not already—sign up now at https://psufa.org/membership. Unsure about your current membership status? Email PSUFA Membership Chair, Vasiliki Touhouliotis.

The details of the TA as outlined below demonstrate significant movement toward all the higher-level demands outlined at the beginning of the bargaining process. We pushed Administration to commit to equal pay for equal work and to keep up with the cost of living over a period of economic instability and inflation. We also made it clear that there need to be raises that reflect length of service to the University and that PSU needs to put an end to the unpaid work that routinely falls on Adjuncts to perform. Access to benefits Adjuncts can use, in the form of health insurance and retirement benefits, and an increase to onboarding and inclusion of Adjuncts in the affairs of their department were also on the table. Although there is always more room for improvement, this TA represents tangible gains in each of these areas.

Had PSUFA Membership backed down on any of these demands, the University would have “given” us the paltry $3.3 million total they offered initially (which would have been an effective pay cut as shown in the comparison table linked below), but because of the strength of our bargaining unit (again, that’s YOU!) this TA package is calculated at $4.6 million—an increase of almost 40% over their initial offer.

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The TA contains a number of gains over what we are provided in our current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and adds new language to provide access to benefits we did not have before. These changes include:

Increases to Instructional Appointment Per Credit Minimum Salary Rates

• Effective Fall Term 2023: $1,271

• Increase of $35 & 10% COLA

• Effective Fall Term 2024: $1,339–$1,362

• Increase of $45 & 1.75%–3.5% COLA, variable based on CPI-U West

Increases to Research Appointments Minimum Salary Rates

• Research Assistant

• Effective Fall Term 2023: $30.38 per hour

• Inclusive of 10% COLA

• Effective Fall Term 2024: $32.23–$32.79 per hour

• Inclusive of 1.75%–3.5% COLA, variable based on CPI-U West

• Research Associate

• Effective Fall Term 2023: $32.53 per hour

• Inclusive of 10% COLA

• Effective Fall Term 2024: $34.42–$35.01 per hour

• Inclusive of 1.75%–3.5% COLA, variable based on CPI-U West

NEW: Length of Service Payment

• One-time payment of $850 to Adjuncts who have worked in the PSUFA bargaining unit for a minimum of 6 years

• A year of work is defined as an Adjunct working in an Adjunct instructional or research role in any term in an academic year (Fall, Winter, Spring). Years of work will be calculated to include the academic year in which the payment is made and any years of work in the PSUFA bargaining unit prior to that academic year, including non-consecutive years of work.

Increase to Compensation for Committee Service, Advising, Mentoring Activities, and Special Projects and Certain Curricular Development Work

• Effective Fall Term 2023: $29.16 per hour

• Inclusive of 10% COLA

• Effective Fall Term 2023: $30.99–$31.53 per hour

• Inclusive of 1.75%–3.5% COLA, variable based on CPI-U West

• NEW: Addition of compensation for Course Development

• Up to $500 for either a new course that the department has not previously offered or an existing course that requires major curricular revisions

• “Curricular revisions” defined as requiring change to 50% or more of the course content as determined by the Department Chair

• Paid at the committee service rates above

Increase to Compensation for Independent Study Supervision

• 1 credit hour: $153

• 2 credit hours: $230

• 3 credit hours: $306

• 4 credit hours: $383

Increase in Compensation for Contract Negotiations

• The University will compensate up to three (3) bargaining unit members four (4) credits per term for the purpose of preparing for and participating in contract negotiations for the duration of the contract negotiations not to exceed a maximum of four (4) terms.

Increase to Release Time for Other Union Duties

• Provides an additional one hundred (100) hours, for a total of seven hundred (700) hours

NEW: Retirement Benefits Paid by the University

• For eligible Adjuncts selecting PERS (Public Employees Retirement System):

• PSU shall pay the six-percent (6%) employee contribution to any eligible Adjunct faculty employee’s Individual Account Program (IAP)

• For eligible Adjuncts selecting ORP (Optional Retirement Plan) in Tiers 1, 2, or 3:

• PSU shall pay the employee contribution satisfying the 414(h) contribution option

Sick Leave

• No cap on hours accrued

• Hours accrued at the same rate as full-time faculty

• 1 hour sick leave for 21.66 hours of work

Increase to the Faculty Education Fund (FEF)

• PSU contributes additional $20,000 per year (up to $65,000)

• PSU language change on the per credit amount rate to $31 per credit hour

Increase to the Technology Fund

• PSU contributes $20,000 per year

• Individual eligibility increased to $1,500 per person

Increase to the Adjunct Faculty Assistance Fund (AFAF)

• PSU contributes additional $25,000 per year (up to $325,000)

• Additional money will be available for any purpose as articulated in that article, including financial hardship and/or caregiving expenses

NEW: Adjunct Inclusion Fund

• PSU provides $7,500 per year to provide up to ten (10) departments with high academic density money to pay adjuncts to participate in department meetings and/or other departmental work.

For all the finer details on the Tentative Agreement and how this compares with what had previously been offered by the University, check out our PSU Proposals & TA Comparison PDF.

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Again, the PSUFA Bargaining Team wants to extend a round of applause to YOU! Bravo to all who attended bargaining sessions and showed up in solidarity throughout the process. We are also immensely grateful for our supportive community members outside the bargaining unit who have actively and vocally supported our cause, including many State and Local elected officials. Thank you as well to the media outlets who covered our struggle.

In Solidarity,

PSUFA Bargaining Team
Ariana, Lyndsie, Vasiliki, Brittney, Alison, Rob, and David

Bargaining Recap (September 01)

“What can you live with?”

This is the question from PSU Administration that reverberated throughout a rather tense return to the bargaining table for PSUFA and the University this past Friday, September 1st.

After over four weeks of waiting since receiving our counter proposals on July 28th, Administration has come back to us with a proposal package that looks remarkably similar to—and in many ways worse than—the package they presented to us on July 19th. Instead of the $3.3 million of their July 19th package, they touted the September 1st $3.5 million package as “unprecedented”, while curiously also referring explicitly to this proposal as nothing more than a “reallocation” of the money they had been previously authorized to offer. You might recall from our July 28th Bargaining Recap that Administration had already told us they couldn’t manage more than $3.3 million with an additional then-undefined $0.2 million, and we told them very clearly, in the very same meeting, that this would not be enough to bring us to where we need to be to reach equity with our full-time counterparts. And yet, they came back with it anyway…

At the beginning of their runthrough of changes, Administration proudly announced they had increased the COLA to the per credit minimum from 6.5% to 10% as we had asked, but as it turned out this was at the cost of everything else we had asked for. In order to make the 10% possible without also increasing their overall offer, the remaining proposals were either left unchanged from their original July 19th proposal or rescinded (with the exception of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it increase to their previous proposal for researcher rates). As you can see in the full comparison document (linked below), some noteworthy changes from their previous package include:

• Rescinded verbal agreement to pick up retirement at 6%
• No length of service increase for adjuncts who have been employed for 12 years or more (collapsed into those who have worked 7 years or more)
• Rescinded offer of additional $25,000 to Adjunct Faculty Assistance Fund for caregivers
• Rescinded $15,000/year increase to Faculty Education Fund

For all the details on what the University offered in this session, you can check out our updated Comprehensive Proposal Comparison.

In the end, the additional $25 increase to the per credit minimum and 10% COLA comes at the cost of everything else, and still only puts us at a 1.7% increase over what PSU adjuncts were making in Fall 2019, adjusted for inflation. This again fails to bring us anywhere near equity with what full-time faculty at PSU get for the same work. This package is a non-starter.

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Toward the end of the meeting, their team explicitly referred to the $3.5 million as their “ceiling”, and chided us for noting that all they had done since their previous proposal was rearrange the deck chairs. But talking about a “ceiling” at all in what is meant to be a negotiation shows a clear lack of willingness to engage meaningfully in the process and careless indifference to the needs and demands of our bargaining unit. They speciously insist that we are stalling the bargaining process by not negotiating against ourselves in these sessions. As you can see in the Proposal Comparison table linked above, PSUFA has already tentatively accepted a number of PSU’s proposals. Administration, however, has only tentatively accepted a single one of our proposals, and that was seven weeks ago. PSUFA has been and continues to be committed to engaging in a good faith negotiation, and we have demonstrated this in the adjustments we have made to our proposals and by actively trying to schedule bargaining sessions with the University over the summer. We are still waiting to see this commitment from the University, even as they try to claim in these meetings that we are the ones not moving and use this as justification to call for mediation as soon as the option presents itself legally.

What is clear from this most recent session, and Administration’s striking lack of willingness to engage with us in full-throated negotiation, is that the University is entirely focused on its supposed budget, and not the well-being and needs of the contingent faculty whose labor it cannot function without. When asked directly whether their team had at any point in the past four weeks requested more money to put together a better offer, they rebuffed us, saying that we were implying they hadn’t tried, but they never said they did, either. When presented with member responses to their proposal after our caucus—calling it “a bandage for a gaping wound” and “unconscionable”—they sat in palpable silence, not one member of their team uttering a single word until we moved on. Instead, throughout the session they suggested everything in their proposals is something they are “giving” us, insinuating that we should be grateful. We don't need to be grateful to bosses who don't pay us fairly, who don't offer meaningful compensation for length of service, who don't acknowledge the additional labor of its caregivers, and who won't contribute to retirement!

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PSUFA and adjunct members are done with accepting bread crumbs from the University. They ask us, “What can you live with?”; We answer with one word: equity. That is what we continue to fight for. We have some questions of our own for Administration: What is it going to take for PSU to stop exploiting the precarity of adjunct labor? Does the University truly believe it is ethical to deny retirement and healthcare to PSU workers that are kept in contingent status year after year? Will Administration at this moment demonstrate care for its students, their education, and the educators that provide the essential work that holds up this institution; or, will they again choose profit over community? We ask: What does PSU stand for?

Instead of addressing the needs of their employees, Administration referred to these negotiations as “the start, not the end.” But, the start of what? Adjuncts at PSU have been enduring years of economic uncertainty amidst increasingly unstable employment. Adjuncts who are in unstable situations financially are not on solid enough ground to help resolve the student retention problem the University is facing. How long will we have to wait to be made whole and receive the equal pay for equal work we deserve? “What can you live with,” they ask? We’ve heard loud and clear from our membership that we can’t live with what Administration is offering. The University is kicking the can down the road when we need transformative and equitable change to this increasingly exploitative system, and we need a FAIR CONTRACT NOW.

By insisting on moving laterally—with a fixed budgetary “ceiling”—PSU is not committed to moving forward and not coming to the bargaining table in good faith. We are looking forward to continuing negotiations in mediation later this month as we believe PSU will come to recognize that in order to participate in an equitable economic reopener they will need to do better than offering what is essentially the same proposal again and hoping we will give up. PSUFA has the support of state senators, state representatives, elected regional government officials, and members of the wider Portland community, who have all signed on in solidarity with our demands (read the full Solidarity Letter and list of signatories here). We are invested in the process and will not give up; PSU needs to be invested as well.

In Solidarity,

PSUFA Bargaining Team
Ariana, Lyndsie, Vasiliki, Brittney, Alison, Rob, and David

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Future Bargaining Sessions

Our next bargaining session (and our first in the mediation process) is tentatively scheduled for Monday, September 18th, from 9:00AM to 5:00PM. More details will be sent out via email in the coming days. You can also keep an eye on the event page on our Calendar at PSUFA.org for future bargaining dates and how to get actively involved while we are in mediation.

Bargaining Town Halls

Bargaining is a fraught process, and it can often seem confusing or challenging to follow. Maybe you haven’t been able to attend any bargaining sessions, or you have but you’re not sure about some of the details. Don’t worry; you’re not alone!

In order to make sure our membership understand what has happened so far in the process, what is currently happening, and what to expect down the line, PSUFA is hosting two All-Member Bargaining Status Town Halls in September.

Come talk with other PSUFA members about what you CAN live with and what equal pay for equal work means to you!

These Town Halls will be held on Thursday, September 21st, & Tuesday, September 26th, both from 5:00PM to 6:00PM. You can attend just one or both Town Halls, and both sessions will be held in-person in FMH B134 (basement level) in the PSUFA office with the option of attending over Zoom as well. Please RSVP to attend at the following link: https://forms.gle/xBQrYpi754vqRwH37

Community Solidarity with PSU Adjunct Faculty

For over 75 years, Portland State University (PSU) has served its students, the city of Portland and the State of Oregon, by providing high quality education to all who enroll, including high numbers of non-traditional and minoritized students. In 2022, 80% of PSU’s students were Oregonians, 39.6% identified as BIPOC, and 47.4% were first-generation college attendees. To meet its stated mission of “creat(ing) an equitable and sustainable future through academic excellence, urban engagement, and expanding opportunity for all,” it is urgent that the PSU administration and Board of Trustees reverse the disinvestment in its adjunct faculty and provide livable wages and fair compensation for these essential educators.

Adjunct instructors account for approximately 47% of the instructional staff at PSU and teach almost 40% of student credit hours. Every student who attends PSU is taught by an adjunct at some point in their education. But adjunct faculty also do much more than teach classes. They mentor students, write letters of recommendation, develop courses, conduct research, write grants, and serve as important role models. Adjuncts are essential to shaping student experience, education, retention, and success. They are the public servants who serve the diverse populations that PSU was founded to educate and engage.

Adjunct working conditions are student learning conditions and PSU students—particularly our BIPOC and first-generation students—deserve faculty who are compensated with livable wages, benefits, and dignified working conditions. The over 1,000 adjunct faculty at PSU deserve pay which reaches parity with their full-time counterparts and keeps up with cost of living. Currently, PSU does not provide raises to adjuncts based on their length of service. This means that adjuncts working at the university for 10 and even 20 years still make the minimum rate. Adjuncts deserve raises which recognize their career excellence, their essential labor, and their service to students and the University.

For Portland State University to fulfill its mission to our city and state, increase its enrollment, retain—and truly serve—its diverse student body, it must start compensating adjuncts fairly.

We, the undersigned, request PSU to increase the budget and compensation for adjunct faculty:

Oregon State Senators

Wlnsvey Campos — State Senator, District 18

Kathleen Taylor — State Senator, District 21

Lew Frederick — State Senator, District 22

Michael Dembrow — State Senator, District 23

Chris S Gorsek — State Senator, District 25 / Adjunct Assistant Professor, Portland State University

Oregon State Representatives

Ben Bowman — State Representative, District 25

Dacia Grayber — State Representative, District 28

Maxine Dexter — State Representative, District 33

Farrah Chaichi — State Representative, District 35

Rob Nosse — State Representative, District 42

Travis Nelson — State Representative, District 44

Khanh Pham — State Representative, District 46

Zach Hudson — State Representative, District 49

Ricki Ruiz — State Representative, District 50

Community Members

Ashton Simpson — Metro Councilor, District 1 / Community Leader

Christine Lewis — Metro Councilor, District 2

Mary Nolan — Metro Councilor, District 5

Duncan Hwang — Metro Councilor, District 6

Jessica Vega Pederson — Multnomah County Chair

Susheela Jayapal — Multnomah County Commissioner, District 2

Carmen Rubio — Portland City Commissioner

PSU-AAUP Executive Council

Dr. José Padín — Former President, PSU-AAUP / Associate Professor, Portland State University

Sarah Kowaleski — Portland Jobs with Justice Coalition Organizer

Brittney Connelly — Head of the CORE Art Dept. at PSU

Daniel A. Brown — Convenor of PDX Faith Labor Committee

Cassia Gammill — CCAHE Professor

David Stylianou — AFT National Representative

Laura Hanks — Community Member

Nicole Jepeal — Graduate Student, Portland State University

Nikki Mandell — Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Judith Beck — Community Member

Eloise Bates — Community Member

Mark Leymon — Associate Professor, Portland State University

Alejandro Segura — President, SEIU Local 89

David Kinsella — Professor, Portland State University

Marie Wakefield — Community Member

Emily Gothard — Alumni, Portland State University

Joel Rosenblit — CWA Member

Tascha Babitch — Community Member

Stacey Vieyra-Braendle — AFT Member / Academic Fieldwork Coordinator & Former Adjunct Faculty

Ramin Farahmandpur — Vice President for Legislative & Political Action, PSU-AAUP / Professor, Portland State University

Aleksandar Jokic — Councilor, PSU-AAUP / Professor, Portland State University

Kristine Shmakov — PCCFFAP Member (AFT Local 2277) / Instructor & Department Head, Portland Community College

Grace Silvia — Community Member

Stephanie Yorba — Instructor, Portland Community College

Rachel Aponte — Instructor, Portland Community College

Julie Perini — PSU-AAUP Member / Associate Professor, Portland State University

Sylvia Hart-Landsberg — Community Member

Evan Selby — Reynolds Education Association Member / Teacher/Building Representative

Robyn Gottlieb — BerniePDX / Community Member

John Harris Knight — American Federation of Government Employees Member

Ezra Veenstra — Community Member

John Detweiler — Educator / Community Member

Myka Dubay — ILWU Local 5 Executive Board Member

Jamie Partridge — NALC Local 82 Member

Brian Denning — Portland DSA Steering Committee External Organizing Co-chair

John Herbert — Portland Central America Solidarity Committee (PCASC) Member

Bargaining Update (August 29)

Forgive us for disrupting your summer break, but the bargaining team has some important updates. Below is some information about a couple pressing scheduled events, followed by our usual bargaining blog update.

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Firstly, YOU ARE PSUFA and we are hosting urgent All-Member Bargaining Status Update Town Halls to update members on the current state of our contract negotiations, answer your questions, and invite you to JOIN THE FIGHT. The Town Halls will be held on two (2) dates to accommodate people’s busy schedules:

• September 21st (Thu), 5:00PM to 6:00PM

• September 26th (Tue), 5:00PM to 6:00PM

Join us in-person in the PSUFA office in FMH B134 (basement level) or on Zoom: RSVP HERE. We will send you a calendar invite and reminder, and the Zoom link is noted on the RSVP form. You are welcome to attend both dates.

Second, we have one final bargaining session this week before entering into formal mediation (more details on this development below).

• September 1st (Fri), 1:00PM to 5:00PM (on Zoom only; RSVP HERE)

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Since you last heard from us, there has been little movement at the bargaining table, but a lot of development behind the scenes. To refresh your memory on where we last left off, be sure to read our July 28th Bargaining Recap. In the intervening time our fight has also captured the attention of local media! Read articles in the PSU Vanguard from August 3rd and August 10th, in Street Roots from August 23rd, and look out for upcoming stories in the Portland Mercury and other outlets.

While we had initially been optimistic that our Bargaining Team and PSU Administration would meet to continue the process during August, there have been no bargaining sessions since July 28th. Scheduling has proven incredibly difficult in the summer. The University is not happy that our schedules (which include long-ago-scheduled time off for our team members to spend with their families after five months of bargaining) don’t work for their team and within their preconception of the flow of this economic reopener.

Administration’s impatience hit an all-time high this week when we were notified without consultation that they had initiated formal mediation with the Employment Relations Board. This process can be initiated by either side after 150-days of bargaining without a contract agreement, but this still came as a surprise to the Bargaining Team as PSU Administration seemed to agree with us that mediation was not yet necessary. Many unions—including others at PSU—bargain long past the 150-day marker, especially in cases such as ours where just establishing ground rules took up over two months of negotiations (let us remind you that we didn’t start exchanging proposals until June). Why is PSU calling for mediation as soon as they are legally allowed to, and without giving PSUFA any indication this was the direction they were moving? We hope that it is motivated by a commitment to continue bargaining in good faith and in a democratic spirit and not an attempt at unilateral implementation of their vision of “fairness” and “equity” upon our unit.

Come to the TOWN HALL to learn what the mediation process entails, but the TL;DR reaction from your team at the bargaining table is this: We are hopeful mediation will help PSU come up with an allocation increase and counterproposal rather than literally nothing at all or moving a little from column A to column B. We understand the concept of “negotiation” as thus: each side makes concessions from their initial positions to reach a consensus that is agreeable to both parties. PSUFA’s Bargaining Team has taken those steps and shown a willingness to negotiate. The University has presented a continued refusal to move towards us, with the justification that: PSUFA’s asks are so radical that they can’t even think about going to President Cudd or the Board of Trustees for more funding. Here is a link to the chart showing proposals thus far; you can see there is nothing radical about our requests for equal pay for equal work. Transformative, deserved, and justified? Yes. Radical? Depends on who you ask.

The fear tactics from Administration have grown so pathetic that they have resorted to threats regarding our Fall term paychecks and the inability of HR to implement retroactive pay. These have come under the guise of feigned concern over how PSUFA membership might be upset at their Bargaining Team for failing to accept the pittance they offered during the July 19th session—the only proposal they have offered in five long months of bargaining before seeking mediation. This makes PSUFA wonder: How can it be that every other institution within the State of Oregon higher education system can manage retroactive payment, but PSU can’t? As one of our team members said quite concisely in a meeting with Administration: “Our members' paychecks are at the forefront of our minds in this process.” Your paychecks are the reason we are fighting so hard, regardless of “the situation at HR”.

WE WILL NOT QUIT NEGOTIATIONS UNTIL A FAIR CONTRACT HAS BEEN AGREED TO!

We need your support and action!

Attend the next bargaining session on Zoom
September 1st (Fri), 1:00PM to 5:00PM

Attend an All-Member Town Hall in-person on campus or Zoom
September 21st (Thu), 5:00PM to 6:00PM & September 26th (Tue), 5:00PM to 6:00PM

In Solidarity,

Your PSUFA Bargaining Team,
Ariana, Lyndsie, Vasiliki, Brittney, Alison, Rob, and David

Bargaining Recap (July 28)

The Pressure Is On!

On Friday, July 28th, more than 50 PSU adjuncts, students, staff, full-time faculty, and community members descended upon our bargaining session in the Karl Miller Center with signs demanding a FAIR CONTRACT NOW!

This demonstration followed the unprecedented number of adjuncts who took the time to respond to PSUFA’s poll gauging our union membership’s willingness to take collective action in order to achieve a better contract. The results of the poll unambiguously demonstrated a desire to unite in some form of collective action if necessary for the contract we deserve.

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Click here to view more pictures from the demonstration on Friday, July 28th.

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THANK YOU to everyone who attended our demonstration, and thank you especially to our community allies at Portland Jobs with Justice and Portland DSA! PSU Administration was visibly rattled by the unified call for a fair contract and the PSUFA Bargaining Team was bolstered by your support. The University leadership is counting on their adjuncts being quiescent and disorganized, but we are not going along with their plans for us!

Let’s continue putting the pressure on at our next bargaining session, tentatively scheduled for August 18th. Keep an eye on the PSUFA Calendar and your email for time and location. Please stay tuned for more information about future actions and continue to follow updates on our blog. The fight is not over and we adjuncts will keep demanding a fair contract until we get one—sending the message to Administration loud and clear that we are worth more and that our students deserve more!

The PSUFA Bargaining Team’s parting message to Administration on Friday was simple: We are willing to continue negotiating, but the total allocation must be significantly larger—our bargaining unit will not accept the current allocation.

Here’s where we stand at the bargaining table on our proposed increase to the minimum per credit rate and a cost of living adjustment (COLA):

For a more detailed outline of all the proposals put forth by PSUFA and how PSU has responded to them, click here to download a comprehensive comparison PDF.

The University’s central message to adjuncts at the table is and has been: We are in a $20 million hole and we only have an increase of $3.3 million (with an additional as yet undefined $0.2 million allotment) to give you. The budget crisis the University has found itself in should not mean perpetuating our part-time poverty. Adjuncts did not create this crisis, and its solution should not be laid at the feet of PSU’s already underpaid faculty. An increase of $3.3 million (plus $0.2 million) is simply not enough for the more than 1,000 adjuncts who make this university function by teaching nearly 40% of student credit hours.

Your union’s current proposal costs an additional $5.5 million in the first year and an additional $2.5 million in the second year (for a total of $8 million). This amount would increase our share of the total university budget from 3.1% to merely 4.3%—a modest percentage when compared to—again—the nearly 40% of instructional hours at PSU that would not be possible without our labor.

PSUFA will continue to bargain to achieve a fair contract. The Bargaining Team has made significant moves toward the Administration's position in an effort to find a compromise that is fair and just. By claiming a fixed pool of money to work with, and institing that we can only negotiate how to move the money around, the University is stalling the process.

The Bargaining Team has and will continue to demand that the Administration across the table go to the Board of Trustees and the President to find more in the budget to allocate for our bargaining unit. Every budgetary decision is a choice that reflects the values of PSU and the University is actively and shamefully choosing to not invest sufficiently in the dignity and survival of its adjunct faculty by not providing us a larger amount to negotiate with.

Demonstration for a FAIR CONTRACT NOW

On Friday, July 28th, PSU adjuncts, students, staff, full-time faculty, and community members demonstrated their support for a FAIR CONTRACT NOW for PSU adjuncts.

See pictures of this powerful demonstration of collective action below, and keep an eye on the PSUFA Blog for information on how to get involved in the future.

An open letter about adjunct labor at PSU

The goal of our bargaining team—your bargaining team—is simple and has been consistent: equal pay for equal work. That is not just a motto. For us it approaches doctrine.

Thus,

• if full-time faculty receive health and retirement benefits, then so should we (adjusted to our part-time employment status);

• if full-time faculty have a mechanism to receive salary increases, then so should we;

• if full-time faculty receive technology (laptops, say) to teach a class, then so should we;

• if full-time faculty receive a certain amount for teaching a course on a per credit basis, then so should we.

These are not radical proposals, though they have been described by the administration as such. These proposals follow cleanly from a basic commitment to equitable compensation for workers. It is a commentary on how far the goalposts have shifted since the 1980s that any of the above would be seen as controversial, let alone radical.

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This past Wednesday, July 19th, at the bargaining table, PSU Administration presented their proposals for pay increases and other changes to economic components of our current collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The administration’s proposals were wholly inadequate.

Under the current CBA, the adjunct faculty per credit minimum is $1,120. The administration’s proposal was to increase that per credit minimum to $1,219, beginning in Fall 2023. The problem here is that $1,219 is still below the inflation-adjusted per credit minimum we had in 2019, which was $1,235. So this “raise” only moves us closer to what we were already making four years ago. It is equivalent to the inflation-adjusted dollar amount we made three years ago, in 2020. This is not acceptable.

It is worth recalling that changes to the per credit minimum are, in effect, the only way that members of our unit can receive an increase to our salary. Unlike full-time faculty, adjunct faculty do not have a mechanism to advance to different ranks and to be compensated accordingly (i.e., a step system). This is in spite of the fact that we undergo evaluations. Remarkably, some members of the administration continue to deny that we undergo evaluations, despite this procedure being laid out explicitly in our CBA (Article 8, Section 4).

The narrative that the administration has pushed is that their budget problems make it impossible for them to meet (or even come close to meeting) our insistence on equal pay for equal work. These budget problems are attributable to declining student enrollment and poor retention. Continuing to underpay adjunct faculty is not a sensible solution to these problems; it is a recipe to exacerbate them. Adjunct working conditions are, after all, student learning conditions.

In total, the administration’s proposed increase to adjunct compensation amounts to $2.1 million in the first year (and $1.2 million in the second). That is around 0.2% of PSU’s budget (note the decimal point). They said any more money is not possible.

Incidentally, the total increase to our budget over two years ($3.3 million) is almost exactly equal to—a bit less than, actually—what the 15 highest-paid administrators at PSU made in 2022 alone. You’ll understand our bargaining team’s skepticism when some of these very same administrators tell us that PSU simply doesn’t have any more money to provide to adjunct faculty.

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We wanted to close with a few points about adjunct work in general and at PSU in particular.

Adjuncts at PSU teach about 40% of credit hours, and we make up about 3% of the University’s budget.

These statistics go a long way in helping to explain why the number of adjunct faculty has ballooned, both at PSU and elsewhere. At PSU, adjuncts don’t receive health insurance or retirement benefits. We are also paid less than full-time faculty on a per credit basis. We are cheap labor.

The Merriam-Webster definition of “adjunct” is also instructive. An “adjunct” is “something joined or added to another thing but not essentially a part of it.” This describes well the original reason that a university would employ adjunct faculty. Adjunct faculty would fulfill course needs that the university’s full-time faculty could not. For instance, a special education teacher at an elementary school might teach a course on teaching in a self-contained classroom.

This is no longer the primary function of adjunct faculty at many public universities, including PSU. We are now essentially a part of PSU, despite their retention of the misleading title Adjunct.

How did this happen? As the ratio of administrators at universities has increased, and as public funding for universities has decreased, university administrators have sought ways to save money. A popular strategy has been to curtail hiring full-time faculty and to hire adjunct faculty instead. It is cheaper to have three adjuncts who each teach two courses per quarter than it is to hire one full-time faculty member to do the same. What has further greased the wheels of this strategy has been the surplus of well-qualified PhDs who have been unable to find tenure-track jobs because of the poor academic job market, particularly since the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–08. 

To be sure, there are still adjunct faculty who have other full-time jobs but teach classes that fill specific needs PSU cannot meet with its full-time faculty—however, that is a small slice of reality. Consider the Anthropology Department, which lists 22 faculty members, 15 of which (68%!) are adjunct faculty. Our internal data indicate that 80% of the members of PSUFA would work at PSU full time if given the opportunity. What’s also telling is that adjunct faculty teach introductory and required courses, not the sort of niche courses that the University would plausibly have difficulty finding qualified full-time faculty to teach.

The logic behind PSU having so many adjunct faculty is the same logic that businesses like Uber or DoorDash employ when they classify their workers as “independent contractors” rather than employees. It is the same logic that Hollywood studios have adopted when they hire writers to work on just parts of a script, as is well understood.

The general facts we mention above are among the most basic facts about the trajectory of higher education in the 21st century. It is somewhat intellectually embarrassing to have to recite them. Anyone who is unfamiliar with these should not be in an administrative role at a university. The same is true of anyone who feigns unfamiliarity with them.

Our bargaining unit has been and continues to be interested in having a conversation—a tough and complicated conversation—about adjunct labor at PSU. But that debate needs to adhere to basic facts and norms of rational dialogue.

Bargaining Recap (July 14)

PSUFA Members,

BRACE YOURSELVES

This week, PSU will be responding to our proposals and WE NEED YOU THERE!

But first, let’s talk about last week. Friday, July 14th, saw us back at the bargaining table. The session began with PSUFA accepting PSU’s proposals on Bargaining Release and Independent Study rates (see our June 29th bargaining recap for specifics). These were our first Tentative Agreements.

However, our harmony slowly fizzled from there. 

It was PSU’s turn at benefits proposals—and, sigh. They did agree to removing the cap on sick leave accrual, but denied a Sick Leave Bank for our unit. (Full-time faculty have one.) They denied any additional funding to support adjunct faculty who are also caregivers, beyond what is available in our Adjunct Faculty Assistance Fund, which means that we are expanding eligibility for that fund without any additional money to dispense. (Full-time faculty have a dedicated caregiver fund of $115,000 in the first year and $175,000 in the second year. Are you seeing a theme here?)

PSU representatives stated that they are “interested” in picking up the 6% PERS contribution for eligible adjuncts. This would be a great win for PERS-eligible adjuncts. No movement was made in relation to the 5% health insurance premium pickup for eligible faculty under the revised HB2611. PSU justified their reluctance to accept our proposal because they were concerned that other part-time employee groups on campus such as staff and graduate employees don’t have access to health insurance and it might be unfair to these groups if PSU picked up 5% of health insurance premiums for adjuncts. PSU’s commitment to equity really shines when it comes to treating all employee groups on campus equally poorly.

Time and time again, PSU has hesitated to make any agreements due to the necessity to see the “entire picture” of what we are asking (a tactic they use to slow bargaining). And so…

AFTER THE LUNCH BREAK CAUCUS, our team laid down the entirety of our proposals. After tinkering with their costing model, we were told by PSU that our ENTIRE PACKAGE OF PROPOSALS (minus Length of Service payments) would add $6 million to the adjunct budget.

Collectively, the PSU team (7 people) sitting across the table cost the university over $1 million dollars a year. PSU adjuncts make up roughly 3% of the university's budget, and teach about 40% of the credit hours. Our proposal, which would make meaningful change to the lives of 1,200 adjuncts, costs in total around $6 million. A $6 million increase to the PSU adjunct budget to approach equal pay for equal work—although we would still not be there—is more than reasonable.

PSU wants us to believe that they don't have the money to make real changes in the lives of adjuncts. But we know it’s simply not true. Every budgetary decision PSU makes is a CHOICE. If PSU denies our proposals, it’s not because they can’t afford it—it’s because THEY DON’T WANT TO.

Adjunct-taught classes pulled in more than $59 million in tuition for the university last year. We are cheap labor for the university and they want to keep us that way.

We say $6 million is not that much of a lift. (As a point of comparison the full-time union received an additional $9.4 million for fiscal year 2024 in their last round of negotiations.)

They lamented that our package of proposals is trying to “ACHIEVE TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE” and have chided us repeatedly for trying to change the structural conditions in a contract negotiation. YES, WE ARE! We need RADICAL transformation for adjuncts at PSU, because that is what equal-pay-for-equal-work requires and that is what ending the two-tiered system of adjunctification in higher education necessitates.

WE ARE FIGHTING TO WIN FOR ADJUNCTS!

We have spent weeks listening to your testimony; we are acutely aware of your struggles. Let’s break this system of those at the top helping themselves to hefty salaries while paying adjuncts meager wages for their hard work and expertise. We will not stand for this inequity any longer.

When we bargain we want you all alongside us! Come fight with us! This is a call to action! Advocate for better conditions for adjuncts like yourself! Advocate for your rights!

Our next bargaining sessions are Wednesday, July 19th, from 1:00PM–5:00PM and Friday, July 28th, from 12:00PM–5:00PM. Please RSVP and observe as we fight for:

• raising the minimum rate

• a 10% COLA

• health insurance

• retirement benefits

• no more unpaid work for creating course content

• caregiving benefits

• pay for course conversion

• access to meaningful sick leave

• and so much more!

Check out our full proposal here for details that will effectively change your life here at PSU:

PSUFA PROPOSAL ECONOMIC REOPENER '23

Bargaining Recap: June 29 & Bargaining Picnic: July 9!

PSUFA Members,

We are picking up some momentum in bargaining and the persistence of our membership and bargaining team is resulting in more serious proposals from management.

Most of PSU’s and PSUFA’s interests around bargaining topics this season have been outlined. We can expect that proposals will be exchanged from here on out in most of our future sessions. Even though our Thursday, June 29, was short, we covered a variety of topics. Here is a recap:

Topics Addressed:

• Independent Study

• Union Duties 

• Bargaining Release 

• COLA

• Minimum Rates 

• Length of Service Increases. 

We began with PSU presenting on what it believes to be a fair counter proposal to PSUFA’s proposal on Independent Study. PSU suggested an increase to the rate in which independent studies are paid. This marks a shift in PSU’s tone concerning independent study. As you may recall, PSU’s first interest statement outlined that they did not intend to increase any compensation for independent studies. What was heard around the table was that independent studies didn’t make for good economics for Portland State University. We gladly welcome this shift in approach, because we know that independent studies are one way in which PSU offers additional academic support to our student body.

Currently adjuncts are paid a dismal flat rate of $50.00 per credit for an independent study, PSU is proposing that adjuncts be paid $153.00 for a 1-credit independent study. In PSU’s proposal, if you teach more than 1 credit, your compensation for that independent study will incrementally raise at approximately $77.00 dollars per every additional credit taught.

The chart PSU provided with their proposal is below:

While a step in the right direction, this proposal leaves our unit with some important questions. 

PSU did note that they were factoring that 1 hr of independent study equates to 6 hrs of work for our faculty. PSUFA believes 6 hours is a gross underestimation of hours needed to serve our students participating in independent studies. Also, what happens when a faculty member takes on more than one student per an independent study? Do the hours accounted for go up? And in turn, shouldn’t our compensation? PSUFA is drafting a counter proposal to address these questions and concerns, so more information on this issue to come.

Moving forward, PSUFA brought to the table a first proposal on Union Duties. PSUFA’s argument centered around parity—we want to be valued and compensated the same as our full-time counterparts. It's a simple logic to follow, and it seems like a great place for the university to stand. In asking for pay parity, PSUFA asked that our union compensation be equal to that of a full-time faculty member.  In PSUFA’s proposal, the University and the Union would agree that a pool of up to $72,000 per fiscal year will be available for the purpose of union duties. We will check back in with the administration's response.

Next up, PSU countered PSUFA’s proposal concerning Bargaining Release. PSU came forward and offered a fair counter proposal on this issue, upping the current bargaining release time for contract negotiations from the current 2 credit hours of compensation to 4 hours. We are thrilled that PSU recognized the need here for more compensation, as bargaining takes months and months of prep and work and most of it as it stands now is severely underpaid.

The issue most pressing and the issue that most of our members are greatly affected by was left until the end of our session. Drumroll please… PSU presented an amended proposal on Cost of Living increases, and adjustments to the minimum pay rate. We also heard from PSU a conceptual framework in which they were considering length of service increases.

PSU’s initial proposal on COLA and minimum rates was unconscionable, and in no way addressed the pressing financial precarity that our workforce experiences. On Thursday, PSU’s tone was remarkably different. Thank you for showing up, the stories you all are sharing are impacting these bargaining sessions. PSU presented a 6% cost of living increase for Year 1, and a 2% pay raise to the minimum salary. Check out the chart below for a breakdown:

As it stands now we are witnessing movement from PSU’s team but not nearly enough. Looking at our data, these gains would only amount to a 0.2% increase overall for our members. PSU continues to argue that our work as educators equates to 83% percent of what a full-time faculty member does. Not only is this untrue, it shows a lack of knowledge on the part of the administration in knowing what work is actually being done at the ground level in our classrooms. We are currently being paid at a higher equivalent than what PSU is offering in this proposal. We will continue to inform the administration on what our jobs entail in terms of service to the university and argue for a more just equivalence in terms of minimum rate. In terms of COLA, we will accept no less than 10% raise to adjust for inflation.

During COVID, our bargaining unit opted for a 1% COLA in good faith. It is time for the university to pay it forward and give back to the people who lended an extra hand during difficult times. We don't just deserve this cost of living increase, it is absolutely vital for our workforce to thrive.

On our last note of the day, PSU proposed a conceptual framework for Length of Service increases for our people who have demonstrated a longstanding commitment to the university. PSU proposed 2 one-time payments to an adjunct faculty member who has committed at least 7 years of service to the university. A larger bonus would be implemented for those individuals who have worked over 12 years. The first payment would arrive in the winter term of 2023 and another would arrive the following year for those who qualify. The amounts are still to be determined, as the university did not hint at any particular figures. We are currently working out numbers and spending time looking into how these bonuses are to have the most impact on our people. Something to note: the university intends that these payments would inevitably be replaced by a more comprehensive length of service plan to be discussed at our full economic reopener in 2 years time. We have a lot of thoughts on how this “bridge” should work and we will be expressing those ideas in our upcoming session on July 7th from 12:00PM to 5:00PM. Please join in, it is important for the university to see who they are serving with these increases.

In solidarity,
Your PSUFA bargaining team, 2023

Reminder: Our next bargaining sessions are Friday, July 7; Friday, July 14; Wednesday, July 19 (Zoom only); and Friday, July 28. RSVP here and please come in person if you can! Packing the room is one of the best tools we have to bring us wins and improve faculty working conditions and student learning conditions.

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Bargaining Picnic — This Sunday (July 9th)!

Thank you, PSUFA members! Your agitation and engagement in the bargaining process is working and we are seeing small but significant successes at the bargaining table as described above.

Come celebrate our successes at the PSUFA picnic this Sunday, July 9th from 1:00 to 3:00PM in Irving Park (707 NE Fremont; gather in the SE side of the park near the baseball field).

Meet fellow adjuncts and build relationships with your co-workers. Deep and meaningful connections help us create transformative change at the bargaining table and beyond!

Light fare provided. And we’re planning on having a bargaining piñata made by our fierce bargaining team member, Brittney Connelly! Please bring a blanket or chair. Families/partners welcome. Please RSVP here so we have an accurate count for food: https://forms.gle/AkfiSJsh69pxhvv79

 

Bargaining Recap: June 16

Dear PSUFA,

This past Friday, the PSUFA bargaining team met with PSU administration to discuss a number of issues that lie at the core of adjunct faculty’s economic concerns: 

• the per-credit minimum

• a cost of living adjustment (COLA)

• length-of-service increases

• adjunct inclusion funds (to attend department meetings, for instance)

• benefits like health insurance and retirement.

Friday’s session began with PSU presenting a proposal on length-of-service increases for faculty. PSU stalled on talking about this issue, claiming that they didn’t have a “conceptual framework” to start this conversation. They also suggested that they believe it would be beneficial to wait until our next full-contract negotiations to deal with length-of-service increases. Adjuncts have been asking for length-of-service increases in bargaining sessions going back at least to 2017, and, every time, the PSU administration says it would be better to address the issue at the next round of negotiations. PSU is an outlier on this issue. PCC has length-of-service increases. As does Chemeketa. As does Walmart. 

Thank you to all our observers who showed up on Friday!

A recurring theme throughout our discussions with the administration is the narrative that PSU’s enrollment and retention problems create a budgetary situation that makes it extremely difficult for them to allocate more money to adjuncts. There is, of course, the general question of why we are asked to care about PSU’s financial precarity when the administration has so little interest in our own. Let’s set that aside. 

The key point is that failing to pay adjuncts wages that are competitive with other Portland-area schools will exacerbate PSU’s enrollment and retention problems, not fix them. Also relevant is that adjunct faculty, despite teaching around 40% of PSU’s classes, make up only 3% of PSU’s budget. The maximum amount of money an adjunct could make with the current per credit minimum is $22,400 a year. In contrast, top administrators (including some sitting across from us at the table) make upwards of $17,000 a month. PSU operates on the labor of adjunct faculty, many of whom are not paid a living wage. It is disconcerting to be told by PSU’s wealthy managerial class, ostensibly committed to “serving the city,” that our proposal for (say) a COLA that allows us to keep pace with inflation is economically infeasible. No, it is not just disconcerting—it is indefensible. 

But no doubt the moral nadir of the discussion on Friday occurred when the conversation turned to benefits. PSUFA put forward a proposal for a 30% increase to our per credit minimum that would help us (if needed) to pay for health insurance and contribute to a retirement account, since PSU provides neither to adjuncts. It is worth noting that Starbucks mogul Howard Schulz (no Cesar Chavez) provides his part-time workers with health benefits. Could PSU at least begin to approximate the employment practices of Starbucks? Not so fast. 

The PSU administration described our proposal for a pay increase to offset health and retirement benefits as “radical.” But it is of course not “radical” to ask of an employer that they offset the costs of health care and retirement—nor should it be controversial, at least if the administration is committed to a just compensation package for its adjunct faculty. At one point, the administration even suggested that we should not be discussing benefits, since our unit is composed of faculty who are at less than 0.50 FTE—hence, ineligible for benefits. This is a remarkable strategy in labor exploitation: define a group of workers so that they can’t access certain privileges, then suggest that those workers shouldn’t even bargain over access to those privileges, since those privileges are denied to members of their group, by definition. Henry Ford would blush. 

While there were several different kinds of benefits we wanted to discuss, including support for caregivers and PSUFA’s benefits funds, primarily we asked to focus on the benefits our members tell us they need the most, which are health insurance and retirement funds. It was disorienting to have the administration respond by saying we do receive many benefits from PSU, like bike garages and discounts on hotels. The disconnect was profound. (Though perhaps the hotel discount could be useful for those of our members, recently laid off, who have written to us about their fears of eviction.) We think these “benefits” are better described as perks. Another “benefit” they mentioned was a service that helps people find childcare. However, the going rate for childcare in Portland through that service is about $0.50 less than what PSU pays as our hourly rate. This left us wondering if the administration suggested this as a possible source of employment for us, not as a benefit. 

We are on the right side of this debate; it is not even close. The PSU administration is resistant to materially altering a two-tiered faculty structure that is exploitative and manifestly at odds with a bedrock principle: equal pay for equal work. But these negotiations are not just about who is right. We need your support to pressure the PSU administration to do what is right. 

How will you help? Reach out and talk to us. We’ve heard from many of you already. Many of you showed up to the last bargaining session with your own signs in support of PSUFA. We thank you deeply. The commitment and encouragement from PSUFA membership has been awe inspiring. Here is information on our next sessions: 

• Thursday, June 29, 2:30-4:30pm, ZOOM ONLY 

• Friday, July 14, 10am-4pm, Karl Miller Center, room 318. 615 SW Harrison St, Portland, OR 97201.

• Thursday, July 20, 2:30-4:30pm, ZOOM ONLY 

In solidarity,
Brian McLoone, Brittney Connelly, Alison Lutz, Vasiliki Touhouliotis, Ariana Jacob

Bargaining Recap: June 9

Dear PSUFA,

The biggest news from our Friday, June 9 bargaining session is that PSU finally presented their numbers for what they believe PSU adjuncts should be compensated, both the per-credit minimum rate and cost-of-living increases for adjuncts were discussed. PSU administration proposed a meager 3.5% COLA to our unit, despite giving full-time faculty a 8% COLA this past January. The 3.5% COLA amounts to a pay cut. Because of inflation, we make less today than we did in 2019. 

In terms of raises to our minimum per-credit rate, they suggested a sad 1% increase—and only for those paid the least. There would be no raises for those working above the minimum rate. 

It was deeply disheartening to see such a low offer come from the university. Our observers were outraged that such an insulting proposal was presented by the University administration. Because of the Friday proposal, we at PSUFA have scheduled an emergency, all-member meeting to discuss what our next steps will be. 

IF THE UNIVERSITY WANTS TO CLAIM TO BE COMMITTED TO EQUITY IT NEEDS TO ACTUALLY PROVIDE IT TO ITS WORKERS.

If you can attend, and want your voice heard please join PSUFA in discussion on Wednesday, June 14th from 5pm - 6pm virtually on Zoom. Join us here.

PSUFA presented what we believe equal pay for equal work means—what our minimum pay should be, as well as what we should be paid once we have worked here for years and proven our expertise and dedication to the PSU community.

For our minimum rate proposal, we took the lowest full-time non-tenure track annual salary ($50,265), deducted 10% (which is for their service work), and then divided the remaining amount by the 36 credits that most non-tenure track faculty teach. That per-credit rate without benefits would be $1,257. 

Then, because PSU does not offer us healthcare and for the vast majority of us does not give us retirement benefits, we added an additional 30% onto that amount to make up for the benefits we are denied and we have to pay for them ourselves. (The +30% is based on data given to us by PSU about how much additional compensation is spent on full-time non-tenure track faculty for their benefits.) That brings the per-credit rate we would need to be paid equitably including benefits: $1,634 per credit. 

We did a similar calculation based on the median salary for non-tenure track faculty and arrived at a goal for where we want our salaries to rise over time, potentially after teaching 9 years at PSU: $2,174 per credit.

These numbers are based off of what PSU already pays our full-time colleagues for teaching the same or similar classes that we do. While we know we have a long way to go to get to pay equity with the median NTTF faculty, it is important to have these tangible numbers about what we should be aiming for. 

Other Takeaways From the Bargaining Session

We also went through another round of IBB (interest based bargaining) today. During IBB, each team shares their interests on an issue first before swapping actual proposals. PSU started off the session by recognizing and highlighting their interest in providing more support to our union. In several prior bargaining sessions, PSUFA has outlined that in many instances the university departments are not following proper CBA guidelines, often leading to unpaid labor and contract violations. In turn, today the PSU administration recognized that they were interested in co-creating opportunities for leadership development in the union. Currently, we are not sure if PSU is considering investing more financially in our union or if they want to “support our union” in other ways. More to come in terms of what that actually means for PSUFA.

Next we moved on to discussing independent studies. Independent studies function much like a mentoring program, in which a student asks a faculty member to host an independent study on a special topic in exchange for a university-accredited class. The student receives credit like a regular class, while the committed faculty member can opt, upon approval from their chair, to supervise a special project or research a student decides to take on. This program is essential to making sure we are serving our population of students with a wide diversity of needs. 

The university came back with some strong language concerning adjuncts and their roles in terms of providing independent studies to our students. PSU stated that they were interested in “ways to align faculty engagement with enrollment management and unit productivity.” Keywords here, folks—“unit productivity.” PSUFA asked the administration to clarify this statement and what they meant by “unit productivity.” When pressed on the matter, the university administration stated that they felt like independent study was not the most productive use of adjuncts’ time and they also suggested that they did not intend to increase any compensation for adjunct faculty hosting independent studies. Currently adjuncts receive a dismal amount of $ 50 per credit for the entirety of the term that they host an independent study.

We deserve better. It’s time to come together and push hard against PSU’s continued inequity. Our labor is the product our institution is selling,  WE HAVE LABOR, WE HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE OUR ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCE. 

Again, we hope you can join us and share your voice on Wednesday, June 14th from 5pm - 6pm virtually on Zoom. Zoom Link: https://aft.zoom.us/j/91930902541?pwd=VFpqTUUzNVpneHpnT2hOWVQxS3FBQT09

You’ll want to hear what’s coming up—next week we will be discussing length-of-service increases.

Bargaining Recap: May 30 and June 2

Dear Members, 

Here’s our bargaining recap from last week, when we met on Tuesday, May 30, and Friday, June 2. 

The focus of the discussion on Tuesday was a cost of living adjustment (COLA). We argued that we deserve a one-time 10% COLA to our current per-credit minimum, with annual increases thereafter between 1.75% and 3.5% (depending on the Consumer Price Index). 

The reasoning behind this one-time 10% COLA is simple and, we believe, extremely compelling. In 2019-2020, our per-credit minimum was $1,043. In today’s dollars, that is equivalent to $1,232. And $1,232 is a 10% increase over $1,120, our current per-credit minimum. $1,232 makes us whole relative to where we were in 2019-2020.

PSU administration did not engage as substantively as we would have liked about this proposal, as they wanted first to have a proposal for an increase to our current per-credit minimum. They didn’t want to engage with our COLA proposal in isolation. We left the meeting feeling that not as much had been accomplished as we would have liked.

A key component of Friday’s discussion was equity. Non-tenure track faculty (NTTF) are permanent faculty at PSU who are not tenure stream. We argued that a commitment to equity requires that the adjunct per-credit minimum should be at least as high as the equivalent of what the lowest paid NTTF is paid per credit. At least. Otherwise, we’re simply getting paid less to do the same job.

PSU administration responded by claiming that there are “instructional activities” that NTTF perform that adjunct faculty do not. We pressed them to delineate what these activities are. They struggled with this, eventually citing undergraduate advising and unpaid independent studies as examples. 

We also detected a suggestion on the administration’s part that, because some adjunct faculty have full-time jobs elsewhere, this justifies their low pay at PSU. We claimed that it makes no sense to have one’s pay affected by what one makes elsewhere. Finally, the administration also noted that Article 12, Section 6 of our CBA allows us to be compensated for activities like those “instructional activities” the NTTF perform, such as undergraduate advising. This struck as an admission on their part that adjuncts do perform this work, just like our NTTF colleagues. 

The problem, though—as we articulated to them multiple times, with myriad examples—is that the system to compensate adjuncts for work laid out in Section 6 is entirely broken, since the money for the compensation has simply not been budgeted. In effect, then, we are performing the same instructional activities as NTTF, but not getting paid for them.

PSU keeps claiming that they are committed to equity and fair pay. The only way for them to make good on that commitment is to pay us fairly and equitably and to listen in good faith to our proposals for what that looks like. 

We appreciate all of the support we have received from you all, and we want to extend a special thank you to all of you who were observers this past week. 

We hope you can join us as an observer at our next two sessions:

• Friday, June 9: 2pm - 5pm. This is remote-only. Join us over Zoom! 

• Friday, June 16: 9am - 3:30pm (Lunch 12-1). Remote and in-person at Karl Miller Center (KMC), Room 318. Key card needed to access building. 

RSVP here

In solidarity,

PSUFA Bargaining Team

Bargaining Recap: May 2 and May 5

We had our fourth and fifth bargaining sessions on Tuesday, May 2, and Friday, May 5.

Tuesday, May 2

This meeting began with finalizing the ground rules and, after a brief delay around specific language, the University accepted our edits and the document was approved. Completion of ground rules meant that we were able to begin actually bargaining! 

The University volunteered to begin by sharing their general interests for this economic reopener, as well as ones specific to cost-of-living adjustments (COLA). They expressed their usual concerns of student retention and budgetary restrictions. Their interest statement was brief.

PSUFA then presented a detailed general interest statement, which spoke to our commitment to delivering equity, financial sustainability, and opportunity for advancement for our bargaining unit in this Economic Reopener. 

Here’s an excerpt from our presentation:

​Our union shares PSU’s interest in its mission statement of expanding opportunities for all. We include ourselves in that definition of “all,” and we yearn for PSU to take into consideration adjunct faculty and researchers who deserve the opportunity to grow in our roles at PSU and in our earnings as long-term members of this community. We have adjuncts who have worked at PSU for multiple decades and still are only paid the minimum per credit rate. We have adjuncts who have the best possible teaching evaluations who are passed over when they apply for full-time positions. We have an interest in having real pathways for professional growth. And we are deeply hurt by the structural disrespect and disregard with which we are compensated and expected to work under.

Our presentation also included personal testimony from team members, Brittney Connelly and Vasiliki Touhouliotis. Brittney spoke about being asked to serve as interim head of her program for the year for insultingly low wages. Vasiliki shared her experience of being informed of a mandatory curriculum change and the silence that she received when she asked how adjunct faculty would be compensated for redesigning and updating the course. Their personal narratives were moving and powerful evidence of the reality of our exploitative working conditions. Our COLA interests included data regarding inflation and testimony from our Member Survey (which, if you haven’t taken yet, please do!).

Our presentation clearly made an impact. They were face-to-face with the indignation of our bargaining unit. They didn’t expect a show of force like that! We’re not here to play nice, we’re here to fight for what’s right. The session ended with a short and general discussion of PSU’s budgetary circumstances (more doom-and-gloom from the budget office, but we’ve heard this story many times). 

Friday, May 5

The session began with a discussion of the University’s COLA interests, with the PSUFA team asking clarifying questions. Then the University questioned the length and detail of our interests. They did not understand how some of the interests listed had any connection to COLA. Some also objected to the use of the term “exploitation,” as they feel it implies malicious intent of the University. We had to explain that a lack of equal pay, which includes COLA, enhances Adjunct feelings of alienation and exploitation at PSU. We stuck to our lengthy list of interests and did not eliminate the term “exploitation” (despite pearl-clutching objections from members of the other team), because it accurately defines Adjuncts’ working conditions.

After a caucus break, we were introduced to PSU’s costing model calculator, which is a tool that can be used to forecast the monetary costs of future proposals. 

Finally, we discussed data needs for COLA, including a request for Administrative employee COLAs for the last five years as well as ones proposed for the future. There is no doubt that generous COLAs are in place for Admin, which is why we are going to fight to get a COLA that makes up for the meager ones we have received in recent years. 

A Data Subcommittee will meet next week to refine the data needs of both sides.

Although there are three weeks between now and the next session, the PSUFA Bargaining Team will be working hard to strategize and formulate our next moves. If this week's sessions are any predictor, we can look forward to more SPICY and POWERFUL moves from the PSUFA Bargaining Team.

Many thanks to all of the observers, who took the time out of their schedules to attend. 

What’s Next

Our next bargaining sessions are

• Tuesday, May 30 from 9 to 11:30am

• Friday, June 2 from 9am to 3:30pm

Please RSVP to observe here!

We love to see observers in person, but you can also join via Zoom. Use this Zoom link and download our bargaining background here.

In Solidarity,
Alison Lutz
PSUFA Bargaining Team member

Let's Pack the Room Next Week!

Dear members,

We’re on a roll at bargaining, and we want you to join us in person at our next three sessions.

Our third bargaining session was this past Tuesday, April 25. PSUFA and PSU Admin continued to finalize ground rules for our negotiations. Ground Rules are tedious, but the good news is that we are almost done with them and then we can move on to the good stuff—which is why we want you to be there.

Our next two bargaining sessions are next week:

• Tuesday, May 2 from 9 to 11am

• Friday, May 5 from 12 to 3pm

We are scheduled to discuss cost of living adjustments (COLA), and we think it will be worth watching. We won’t be presenting proposals yet, but we will be letting PSU Admin know how critical a fair and adequate COLA is for our members. Keep in mind that PSU Admin recently signed off on significant COLA increases for both AAUP (full-time union) and GEU (grad worker union). We deserve one too— and we are going to fight for it!

How can you help? Please attend in person. Let’s pack the room with adjuncts and supporters, so Admin can see your faces and feel the heat!

RSVP HERE

Our next three sessions:

• Tuesday, May 2: 9-11am, Room 651, Academic Affairs, 6th floor, Richard and Maurine Neuberger Center (RMNC), 1600 SW 4th Avenue, Portland, OR 97201.

• Friday, May 5: 12-3pm, Room 651, Academic Affairs, 6th floor, Richard and Maurine Neuberger Center (RMNC), 1600 SW 4th Avenue, Portland, OR 97201.

• Tuesday May 30: 9-11:30am. Location TBA.

Here’s how to get there: You do not need a card to enter RMNC. Take the elevator to the 6th floor and enter the Academic Affairs office. There is a student worker who will open the door for you into Academic Affairs and can direct you to room 651.

Can’t attend in person? Join via ZOOM LINK: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/82423314228 We use the same Zoom Link every session, so save it! While in-person attendance is so powerful, Zoom attendance is a great alternate choice. Make sure that you have your name listed and keep your camera and audio off, except when instructed during recognition.

Joining on Zoom? Download our 2023 Zoom background here!

Finally, do you want to add your testimony to help us in our fight? Please take this survey!

Thank you all for your support and see you on Tuesday!

In Solidarity,
Alison Lutz
Bargaining Team member

Rally for Fair Pay, April 6, 2023

Our rally last Thursday was rainy as heck, but we still had a stellar turnout. PSUFA members and allies rallied to raise awareness and show how much solidarity we have among students, educators, and works. Speakers from PSU AAUP, Jobs With Justice, PCCFFAP, GEU, SEIU 89, and elsewhere gave great talks, and it was so good to see so many people come out to support workers in higher ed. Here’s a batch of photos—we’ll share more (and video!) soon!

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Share Testimony for the 2023 Oregon Legislative Session

Dear PSUFA, 

Labor union coalitions are working with legislators NOW to make positive changes through the 2023 Oregon legislative session. These motions are made stronger with testimony from you, the workers. 

Now is your chance to submit testimony—your stories from working as contingent academic workers—to make change that matters. 

Below you’ll find:

• Instructions on writing testimony

• Current bills, testimony needed, and deadlines

Adjunct faculty bills are at the top. Please note: 

1. The “Adjunct Pay Parity” bill is happening tomorrow, Thursday at 3pm. ***This is our priority for messaging. Please send in your written testimony as soon as possible.***

2. Another priority bill is the Public University Governance Reforms (SB 273), which is happening a week from now—March 30 at 3pm. Please submit any testimony by 11am on Thursday, March 30.

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How to Write Testimony

• Write your own testimony, in your own words, and in your own voice.

• The messaging and testimony template included below are examples only. Feel free to use as much or as little of them in your own testimony as you would like.

• If you would like someone to review your testimony before you submit it, please send it to andreah [at] aft-oregon.org or taylor [at] mahoniapublicaffairs.com 

• Remember that any testimony you submit—whether it is written and submitted online or verbal on the day of the hearing—will be publicly available in perpetuity on the Oregon Legislature’s website. This includes your name, what you write, and any personally identifiable information that you include in your testimony.

• The maximum number of characters allowed in the text box is 4,000. The maximum PDF upload size is 15 MB.

• Upload all completed testimonies to this Google Folder OR email to Andrea Haverkamp.

Testimony Messaging and Templates

Below are links to the bills in  Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS), short summaries of the bills, important deadlines, and testimony templates to download or make a copy of in Google Docs. View or download all templates here.

Adjunct Faculty Issues

Adjunct Pay Parity (SB 416)

• Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  SB416 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

• Summary: Requires public universities and community colleges to pay part-time faculty at the same rate, on a per-hour basis, as public university or community college pays full-time faculty to prepare for and teach courses.

• Deadlines: Public Hearing THIS THURSDAY, March 23 at 3pm. Written and/or verbal testimony is needed as soon as possible! Let us know if you are available. Note: You can continue to submit testimony 48 hours after the bill (until Saturday), but it is more impactful beforehand.

• Testimony Template

Adjunct Faculty Healthcare Vision, Dental, Funding Allocation (HB 2611)

• Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  HB2611 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

• Summary: Requires that dental and vision are included in health benefits available to part-time faculty members. Requires public institutions of higher education to notify potentially eligible part-time faculty members of eligibility requirements and details of health care benefits available to part-time faculty no later than 30 days before application deadline. Reduces the amount of time part-time faculty must work to qualify for health care benefits from 50 percent of full-time equivalent employees to 30 percent of full-time equivalent employees. Requires institutions to include non instructional work when making eligibility determination.

• Deadlines: Ongoing. We are collecting testimony in anticipation of forward movement.

• Testimony Template

General Higher Education Issues

Public University Governance Reforms (SB 273)

• Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  SB273 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

• Summary: The full text of the bill is still being workshopped and will be introduced before next Thursday. It is expected to include expanded representation for faculty, students, and staff with voting rights, and require two-way communication and availability of email addresses.

• Deadlines: Public Hearing NEXT THURSDAY, March 30 at 3pm. Written and/or verbal testimony is needed as soon as possible! Please do not submit testimony yet - we’ll need a strong group to ensure consistent messaging. Let us know if you are available to participate!

• Testimony Template

Campus Safety Survey and Survivor Services (HB 3456)

• Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  HB3456 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

• Summary: Requires college campuses to provide certified survivor services including free medical, legal, and counseling services. Requires biannual campus climate survey data collected at each institution and aggregated by the State of Oregon. Ensures amnesty protection for reporting parties. 

• Deadlines: Work Session scheduled today, we are collecting testimony in anticipation of forward movement.

• Testimony Template - Use talking points from This Document

Graduate Employee Hours-worked Eligibility for SNAP Benefits (SB 609)

• Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  SB609 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

• Summary: Currently, hours worked as a grad employee do not count towards you or your family qualifying for SNAP benefits. This bill removes that limitation.

• Deadlines: Bill is slated for Work Sessions on March 22 and 27. We are collecting testimony in anticipation of forward movement.

• Testimony Template 

Classified Staff Issues

Equal Access to UI Benefits for K-12 Classified Staff (SB 489)

• Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  SB489 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

• Summary: Some classified staff are ineligible for UI benefits over the summer or during breaks. Most are. This closes the gap ensuring all classified staff can access UI benefits. 

• Deadlines: Bill was heard on March 23. We are collecting testimony in anticipation of forward movement.

• Testimony Template

Classified Staff Recognition Week (HB 2708)

• Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  HB2708 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

• Summary: Provides that first full week in March is known as Classified School Employees Week.

• Deadlines: Bill was heard on March 16. We are collecting testimony in anticipation of forward movement.

• Testimony Template

There are more Classified Staff bills in the hopper. Contact Andrea if you’d like to work on the full range of bills being considered.

“Fair Shot for All” Coalition / Common Good 

Public Banking Bill (HB 2763)

• Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  HB2763 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

• Summary: Establishes State Public Bank Task Force. Directs task force to study and make recommendations regarding establishment of state public bank. Requires task force to submit report to committee of Legislative Assembly by January 31, 2024.

• Deadlines: Already passed with amendments! We can collect testimony ahead of forward movement in the Senate.

• Testimony Template 

Reproductive and Gender Healthcare Access Bill (HB 2002)

• Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  HB2002 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

• Summary: This bill protects reproductive healthcare providers from criminal charges relating to other states, funds a pilot ‘mobile reproductive healthcare’ service for underserved regions, removes limitations within commercial insurance on gender affirming healthcare, increases reproductive healthcare access on community college and public university campuses. More info here. 

• Deadlines: Passed.

• Testimony Template - courtesy of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon

Stable Homes for Oregon Families (SB 611)

• Link to Bill and Testimony Submission: SB611 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System  

• Summary: Limits annual rent increases. Increases amount residential landlord owes tenant for landlord-cause termination of tenancy. 

• Deadlines: Public Hearing NEXT MONDAY, March 27 8am. Testimony submitted online is welcome!

• Testimony Template