The SEIU Local 503, OPEU Announcement On The Tentative Agreement Covering State Higher Ed Workers

We are proud to announce that classified staff at Oregon’s public universities have reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) with management! We are proud of this hard-fought win and want to thank you for your support in making it happen. More than 1,500 community members signed our support petition, hundreds of you showed up to our rallies, and dozens of you called or emailed university presidents to voice your support. Folks from all walks of life across Oregon took the time to let management know you stand with the people who make our universities work. We can assure you that your impact was felt at the bargaining table. On to the details...

We secured a 15% cost of living adjustment (COLA) paid over the next two years and a one-time $1,500 payment to each worker prorated on a full-time employee on April 1, pending ratification. This is in addition to step increases and a longevity differential for workers at the top step. In short, this contract helps higher education workers catch up with the historic inflation experienced over the last several years. We were also able to get management to drop language that would have made it easier to contract out union jobs. This win took as much effort as the economics, but we did it – with your help.

Ratification will happen on an expedited timeline to get money into workers’ pockets as quickly as possible. It’s been over a year and a half since our last COLA and these increases will make a tremendous difference – especially for our nutrition services and custodial workers. We’ll update you on the progress but wanted to share the good news.

On behalf of the 4,600 classified staff at Oregon’s public universities, thank you for making a difference and helping us win a fair contract. It was a tough fight and your contributions truly mattered. We are grateful for your solidarity and support and remain committed to helping other workers win the contracts they’ve earned.

Keep up to date with us at our SEIU 503 Higher Education website here: https://www2.seiu503.org/e/171302/-involved-bargaining-highered-/2ynrxz/677344214/h/zk_ioPYRkGNy1kk4RTE2wfFaNG8Wux_AG37g_Nwqrrs

With much gratitude,

SEIU 503 Higher Ed Bargaining Team

Ashley Wase (PSU), Colleen Martin-Low (SOU), Darryn Stevens (OIT), Jo Hickerson (EOU), Johnny Earl, Chair (UO), Louie Vidmar (UO), Mark Dunbar (OSU), and Samantha Brubaker (WOU)