After months of bargaining—our SEIU 503 Higher Ed bargaining team has reached a tentative agreement with the employer!

We won this settlement because workers like you have come together in unity to push back against an employer that fought hard for takeaways. Make no mistake: The employer wanted us to settle for much less than we’re worth. Only through members coming together in union were we able to win an agreement that benefits all workers.
Details will be available soon, but we wanted to share some highlights with you right away:

• We held the line on healthcare, despite pressure from the employer to make front-line workers shoulder more of the cost, which would have resulted in lower take-home wages;
• We maintained steps in the face of the employer trying to freeze steps for the length of the contract;
• A 1 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) effective Oct. 1, 2017, and a 1 percent COLA effective July 1, 2018;
• Nine selectives and differentials, and agreement on a very low-cost meal purchasing plan for UO food service workers.

In the coming weeks, we will share the plan for ratification votes at campuses around the state. Please watch your email for a meeting on your campus.

Again, thanks to the hundreds of SEIU 503 members who showed up and won an agreement that lifts all workers. We’re excited about this agreement, and we’re looking forward to seeing you at a ratification vote soon!