Valentines Day Picket at PSU Smith Center

If you think being a college professor is a cushy middle class meal ticket, you probably haven't gotten up close to Oregon's higher ed system lately. At Portland State University, a quarter of the classes are taught by part-timers working on term-to-term contracts. Hundreds of PSU adjunct professors have PhDs in their fields and yet gross less than $15,000 a year, with no benefits of any kind.

Last year, embarrassed at the notion of malnourished state college professors, the Oregon Legislature approved an 18 percent increase in higher ed funding. PSU, for example, got $23 million earmarked for faculty raises. So why is PSU's 1,200-member part-time faculty union having such a terrible time getting an acceptable contract? The Portland State University Faculty Association, also known as American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 3571, wants what amounts to 8 percent annual raises in base pay in its next two-year contract, which the union estimates would cost $1.4 million. PSU is offering just under five percent.

After more than nine months of unsuccessful negotiations, the two sides begin mediation Monday. The union plans to put up informational picket signs outside Smith Memorial Center on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day. (reprinted from Oregon AFL-CIO)