The Pressure is on Management; Countdown is On for Oregon Higher Ed Classified Staff to Strike
Classified workers struggle with everyday expenses while universities prioritize administrative salaries
SALEM, OR – We are one week from a potential strike and classified staff at Oregon’s seven public universities have one message for management: we’ve had enough of struggling to pay our bills while highly-paid administrators live easy.
When surveyed, more than half of union members said they worry about having enough money to make it until their next paycheck and are increasingly going into debt just to pay for essentials, such as food to eat, utilities and gas to get to work.
After months of stalled bargaining, management is offering just 2.5% cost-of-living raises over four years, all while stripping workplace protections, such as contracting out workers’ jobs and rights surrounding layoffs. Members last week voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike because they are done waiting, done struggling, and done being told there isn’t enough money.
The math doesn’t add up. The 4,600 classified workers who feed students, keep campuses safe, and keep classrooms and research running can’t make rent.
“Most of my co-workers I work with in dining have to have two jobs to support their families when they work at the universities,” said Rieley Umphress, catering sales coordinator at the University of Oregon. “They’re claiming SNAP benefits because they cannot afford to provide for themselves or their families.”
“We want a fair contract – a strike is always a last resort. But management has had nine months to prioritize classified staff wages, and they have yet to bring us a proposal members will accept,” said Jo Hickerson, bargaining chair for SEIU Local 503’s higher education campaign and an employee at Eastern Oregon University. “Our members are organized and united. And our members are ready to walk out on September 28 to win what’s right.”
This is about priorities, not affordability. Administrative pay keeps climbing – they get guaranteed raises while classified workers fall further behind as inflation continues to soar. SEIU 503 members are ready to settle a fair contract at the table today. If management won’t move, members will.
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