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February 17, 2026

Bargaining officially began on Thursday, February 13

Your elected bargaining team sat down with management from all seven of Oregon’s public universities to make opening statements at the University of Oregon.  

SEIU 503 President Johnny Earl and Executive Director Melissa Unger sent a strong message about what union members need to see out of bargaining. Melissa made it clear that even in the face of budget uncertainty, workers contribute to our state in a meaningful way and need good wages and benefits to keep them working at these universities. 

You can read Melissa’s full statement here, and see a video of her repeating the statement. 

For the past two months we have been fighting for your right to observe bargaining remotely on Zoom, since it’s not always possible for people to attend sessions in person. Management knows that when you see what happens at the table, it keeps you active in the fight and builds our power, so they attempted to keep these meetings offline. While we did not get unlimited access, we were able to win that all sessions will remain open unless either side requests a closed session. However, opening statements, all initial proposals and salary selective presentations must remain open. Keep an eye on your emails and the member Facebook group for information about how you can tune in during future bargaining sessions.  

Both sides passed two proposals.

• We passed Union Rights (Article 10) and Recognition (Article 2). Our proposals expand workers' access to their union and ensure more workers get all the rights that our contract provides. (Your CAT member can give you more information.)  
• Management’s two proposals were regarding Personnel Records (Article 16) and Sick Leave (Article 36). As these proposals are discussed in more detail and we open more articles, we will share a side-by-side comparison with you.  

Members Showed Up!

We had great member participation last week – at one point nearly 150 observers were watching virtually, reminding management that they are not just bargaining with the team at the table, there are thousands of Higher Ed Union members who are ready to fight for what you deserve!  

Hundreds of people showed up for the rally outside the UO amphitheater delivering a signed banner as a “Valentine’s Day card” to management. Check out video of the action here.

Our next bargaining session is March 5 at Western University in Monmouth – we will remind you closer to that date so you can participate in person or virtually.  

February 10, 2026

Bargaining officially begins this Thursday! At 10am, Executive Director Melissa Unger will read the opening statement drafted by the members of your bargaining team, including our expectations based on bargaining survey results. We will also take this time to present the "Fighting for Higher Education" bargaining petition, which has been signed by the majority of Higher Ed union members! 

Zoom Meeting Guidelines:

If you are joining via Zoom, please keep the following in mind:

• Attendees will be muted throughout the session.
• If you choose to turn on your camera, ensure that there are no inappropriate or offensive background images or objects.

We encourage you to create a sea of purple with our Higher Ed Zoom/Teams backgrounds, please download any of the available options from our bargaining webpage. There are options for desktop computers and smartphones. Join the meeting at this link:

January 21, 2026

Your Higher Ed bargaining team met on Thursday and Friday last week to prepare for our upcoming first meeting with management. Here is a Report back from our January 15-16 work sessions:

Sign the petition for a strong contract!

It’s an easy way to make a powerful statement. Sign it, get your coworkers to sign it, talk it up on the job to every co-worker you see! Spread the word on social media using text from one of the emails we’ve sent you or copy it from the Higher Ed Facebook group. Check your email for a personalized link to sign the petition. Subject: Your first offical bargaining update for 2026

Improving our contract: 

We spent time reviewing articles and drafting initial proposals in preparation for bargaining. We are discussing the things that you spoke to in the bargaining survey: economics, benefits, workload, employee protections, union power, AI and more.

Negotiations begin this February in Eugene: 

Our first meeting with mgmt. is coming soon; February 12-13 at UO. We’re asking union members to show up in force and make it clear, you’re ready to fight for a good contract. Mark your calendars for February 12th, and join us for a rally from 12–1PM @ EMU Amphitheater.

Ground rules and Zoom observation: 

We are currently exchanging proposals on ground rules for our negotiations. It’s important that you can observe both in person, and on Zoom. Mgmt. wants to limit Zoom observers to just 10 people, and we’ve made it clear that is unacceptable!

Stay tuned for regular bargaining updates as negotiations begin in a few weeks.

December 5th, 2025

The bargaining survey is now closed, and our team is already looking closely at what you told us.

Now we need you to take the next step. We’re asking every higher education worker to stand with us by signing this petition that lists our main goals for the next contract.

Use the link in your email to add your name and show university leaders that we are ready to fight for a fair contract in 2026. The subject line is "Fighting For Higher Education - Add your name". Please reach out to contact@seiu503.org if you can't find it in your inbox or spam folder.

When we stand together, we are powerful. With all of us united, there is nothing we can’t win.

September 23, 2025

The time has come for us to begin Bargaining for a new Higher Education contract! We know that when we win at the bargaining table, it’s because our members get active in their union and take action to support one another. We want to take a minute to ask for your feedback in this important bargaining survey. The survey results, which are a direct result of your input, will be instrumental in guiding our negotiation efforts on the issues important to you. Your survey will remain anonymous and not be shared with anyone outside the bargaining team. Check your email by searching for "survey" or reach out to your organizer to get a copy of your personalized survey link.

September 18th, 2025

The 2025 Higher Education Bargaining Conference is in the books! Member leaders from the 7 Oregon public universities came together in Salem to plan how to win a strong contract in 2026. Bargaining is never easy, but this campaign is going to be a real fight. A straightforward conversation took place regarding the economic outlook for universities and its implications for our negotiations. If we want to win this time around, we’re going to have to be bold! Your elected bargaining delegates were present to strategize around the challenges, opportunities, and the way forward. Even in the face of a grim economic outlook we have a plan that will win at the bargaining table. This plan works better when members get engaged and are ready to take action across all seven campuses. 

As a key component of the conference, delegates and leaders will examine the bargaining survey. Be on the lookout for a personalized bargaining survey link arriving in your email shortly! 

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March 19 PSU Rally

PSU Urban Plaza, 12 to 1pm. Register Here.

March 31 OSU Rally

OSUMU Quad, 12 to 1pm. Register Here.

TBD - check back soon!