Published: December 3, 2021

We’re excited to announce that due to the hard work of SEIU 503 members and the dedication of the Higher Ed Bargaining Team, we reached a Tentative Agreement with the Universities today! Read on for a few highlights of what we won, and read the full Tentative Agreement here.

This Tentative Agreement and the raises we won would not have been possible without our membership bringing this fight to the verge of a strike two years ago. The power we built in 2019 was present at each negotiation this year with management, and they came to bargaining prepared to settle early with us. Because of that power built by members, Higher Ed workers will see over 5% in raises in the next 7 months, and will make significant progress in nearly every priority area that our membership identified at the outset of bargaining.​​​​​
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Here are a few highlights of the TA:

  • 3.1% COLA on January 1, 2022 and an additional 2.5% on July 1, 2022!
  • Five year contract with guaranteed steps and status quo on health insurance through June 30, 2026!  A contract reopener in fall of 2023 to negotiate wages for the remainder of the contract
  • Raise all university wages above $15/hour!
  • Between $1,050 and $1,500 Pandemic Pay for essential workers on February 1, 2022!  Plus an additional $575 for employees who qualify for pandemic pay and worked at least 200 hours of overtime.
  • Salary Selective increases (moving a classification to a higher salary range to bring them closer to market wages) for multiple classifications that represent over 40% of our membership! Including a 2 range increase over the life of the contract for the administrative classifications family!

Read the full Tentative Agreement here.

Upcoming Ratification Info Meetings

University of Oregon, Contact your Organizer for more info
12/15/21, 11:30-12:30pm: Ratification Meeting Info
12/15/21, 4-5pm: Ratification Meeting Info

Oregon State University, Contact your Organizer for more info
12/14/21, 5-7pm: Ratification Meeting Info
12/16/21, 12-1pm: Ratification Meeting Info
12/21/21, 12-1pm: Ratification Meeting Info

Oregon Institute of Technology, Contact your Organizer for more info
12/16/21, 12-1pm: Ratification Meeting Info

Southern Oregon University, Contact your Organizer for more info
12/15/21, 12-1pm: Ratification Meeting Info
12/20/21, 12-1pm: Ratification Meeting Info

In Solidarity,
SEIU Local 503 Higher Ed Bargaining Team
Ashley Wase, PSU
Louie Vidmar, UO
Jo Hickerson, EOU
Darryn Stevens, OIT
Mark Dunbar, OSU
Wendy Russell, SOU
Samantha Brubaker, WOU
Johnny Earl, Higher Ed Bargaining Team Chair