SEIU 503 Higher Ed Workers Still Without New Contract
After Management’s Inadequate Proposals
Salem, OR – After months of negotiations, higher education workers represented by SEIU Local 503 will bargain with university management yet again with a mediator this week. Despite efforts to reach an agreement over the last several months, classified staff – the lowest paid workers in the university system – have yet to see a meaningful contract proposal from university management that addresses pay that keeps up with inflation and protects workers’ jobs.
The Teamsters Joint Council 37 has publicly committed to supporting SEIU 503 members and not crossing picket lines if the situation escalates and members authorize a strike.
SEIU 503 represents 4,500 higher education workers at Oregon’s seven universities: Portland State, University of Oregon (UO), Western Oregon, Southern Oregon, Eastern Oregon, Oregon Institute of Technology and Oregon State University.
“Our Union siblings at Oregon’s universities are fighting for what every working Oregonian deserves: fair pay and the right to have their jobs protected,” said Johnny Earl, Chair of the SEIU 503 Higher Education Bargaining Team and UO Custodial Coordinator. “We are ready to take the next step if management doesn’t come to the table with an acceptable offer.”
Sticking points in the negotiations include better cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) that enable workers to keep up with the cost of inflation and management’s insistence that language in the existing contract be watered down to allow universities to contract out Union jobs, among other things.
The disparities between university presidents’ and athletic coach base salaries (they take home additional pay for housing and other benefits) compared to custodial workers is stark: Oregon State’s athletic director earns nearly $1 million and the university president makes $747,000, while custodians on average at Oregon’s public universities make just over $36,000.
Bargaining with a mediator present takes place all day on Thursday, February 22nd at the University of Oregon in Eugene, with an additional bargaining date scheduled for February 26th. If an agreement is not reached by the 22nd, SEIU 503 workers will declare impasse, which is one step closer to a strike vote.
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