Dignity Newsletter, Oct. 2, 2026
- Statewide Election Results
- Homecare Summer Picnics
- Check Your Voter Registration; Sign Up for a Canvassing Shift
- Membership Advantages Open Enrollment is Now
- Around our Union
And the Winners Are…
As part of our union’s democratic process, members elect their statewide executive officers and board of directors, who help lead our union over the next two years. The votes have been counted, and the winners for statewide officers are:
- Johnny Earl, President
- Melissa Unger, Executive Director
- Cristal DeJarnac, Vice President, Care Provider/Other
- Chelsea Alionar, Vice President, Public Sector
- Renae Bracken, Secretary
- Mark Workman, Treasurer
Results for the board of directors can be found on our website.
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all members who took the time out of their busy schedules to run for office!
Summer Picnics Wrapping Up
Homecare workers across Oregon gathered over the summer to build power. At union picnics across the state, workers shared food, stories and experiences, got to know each other and talked about the fight ahead. We’re also learning more about the federal attacks on caregivers and what we can do together to fight back.
Every day, homecare workers save lives and make it possible for the people we care for to live safely and independently in their communities. Our work matters. It’s essential to Oregon, and our voices deserve to be heard.
These picnics are just the beginning of our work to build a powerful movement of homecare workers ahead of 2027 bargaining. We’re sharing our stories, talking about the issues that matter most to us and building the relationships we’ll need to win big. When we come together across Oregon, we have the power to make sure decisionmakers hear directly from the workers who keep our care system running. Two more Homecare Picnics are happening this weekend. If you live in one of these areas, come meet your fellow workers, share your story, and help build the power we’ll need for 2027!
Check your voter registration status by October 13th
The November 3rd General Election is a month away, and there is one key deadline coming up soon. Make sure to check your voter registration status by October 13th to ensure you can vote. It’s quick and easy. You can check and update your status here right now. If you’d like to get more involved in our election work, you can sign up for a canvass or phone bank shift here. Let’s all do our part to elect pro-worker champions up and down the ballot!
Membership Advantages (SEIU Union Benefits) Open Enrollment
Open enrollment for SEIU 503 Membership Advantages starts now! As a member of SEIU 503, you can sign up for voluntary insurance benefits, including life insurance, short-term disability insurance, accident insurance and legal insurance.
These benefits are separate from your job-related coverage, which will have its own open enrollment period.
Want to know more? Visit our website or sign up for a virtual information session:
Thursday, October 8, 2026, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm – register for this meeting using the link below.
Membership Advantages – Open Enrollment Meeting Registration – October 8, 2026
Tuesday, October 20, 2026, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm – register for this meeting using the link below.
Membership Advantages – Open Enrollment Meeting Registration – October 20, 2026
If you have any questions, please email membershipadvantages@seiu503.org.
Around Our Union…
Higher Ed Workers Have a Tentative Agreement!
After nine hard months of bargaining and just hours away from going on strike, higher education workers won a contract. The contract includes 3% COLAs this year, 3% next year, and no takeaways to contracting out protections, layoff/bumping rights, or health insurance and more. Around midnight late Sunday night, the strike was called off, and the picket lines pivoted to celebration rallies. Check out video of the events here.
From the start, management dragged its feet, delaying its economic proposal, offering 0% COLAs and no steps and taking its time to put real offers on the table.
Our members took action, holding rallies and pickets every time we met with management throughout the course of bargaining. We showed we were organized, ready to strike and won a fair contract!
Marion County Workers Win Big in Tentative Agreement!
Marion County workers have won a tentative agreement, and it’s a powerful example of what workers can accomplish when we stand together. For months, county workers united around one issue that impacted everyone: the sky-high cost of the County’s health care plan. Marion County workers were paying far more for health care than other public employees in the region, with the average employee paying nearly four times what other public employees in the region pay. Workers knew the only way to change it was to fight together.
County workers packed Board of Commissioners meetings, held informational pickets, rallied with coworkers, prepared for a strike and made it clear that they were willing to take action. After eleven hours of bargaining, the County agreed to Employer contribution Increases for 2026 and 2027 health care, ensuring no premium increases from today, and 2% raises on September 13, 2026, and July 1, 2027.
This is what our collective power looks like. Workers united on an issue, organized around it, and showed the County what we were prepared to do to win. And what Marion County workers built together isn’t just a victory for this contract, it’s the power we’ll carry into the next fight.
New Units of Workers Come to SEIU 503!
Two new units at Sapphire Rose City and Sapphire Gresham, both long-term care facilities in the Portland area, won union recognition just last week. As new units, they will now have access to the Essential Worker Healthcare Trust and fair wage scales as they prepare to bargain their first union contracts soon. Welcome to our Union!