Dear Supporters:

As of December 2025, we write to update you on the status of the arbitration decision involving Portland State University and the PSU-AAUP.

Last month we shared that an independent arbitrator ruled that PSU violated its contract when it laid off 10 non-tenure-track faculty last school year here. The ruling ordered PSU to reinstate those faculty members and make them whole, including back pay and restoration of their previous positions. Despite the binding nature of the decision, PSU’s administration has since indicated that it has no plans to bring the laid-off faculty back (see here).

We are asking our supporters to continue urging PSU leadership to honor its legal and contractual obligations. Please write to the administrative leadership and insist that PSU comply with the arbitrator’s order. Contact information is provided below.

• Board of Trustees: trustees@pdx.edu
• Office of the President: president@pdx.edu
• Provost’s Office: chabonr@pdx.edu

At this time, we ask PSU leadership to:

1. Comply with the arbitrator’s decision, including reinstating the 10 laid-off non-tenure-track faculty as outlined in the ruling.

2. Clarify that the “make whole” remedy applies through the point of reinstatement, consistent with the intent of the arbitration award.

3. Affirm the institution’s commitment to honoring binding arbitration decisions in the future, reflecting PSU’s values of integrity, respect for labor agreements, and fairness to students and faculty.

Thank you for your continued attention to this serious issue.

With solidarity,

Angela Coventry, Department of Philosophy, Portland State University