Frequently Asked Questions

The Universities’ Bargaining Team developed frequently asked questions that typically arise during negotiations and has answered those questions below.  Additional questions and answers may be added as negotiations proceed, but if there are any questions you have that are not answered below, please email your questions to info@usse-oregon.org and we will respond as soon as possible.  Please click the highlighted words to “jump” to the FAQs related to that particular topic. 

University Shared Services Enterprise 

The Collective Bargaining Agreement 

Negotiations 

Mediation

Impasse

UNIVERSITY SHARED SERVICES ENTERPRISE

What is the University Shared Services Enterprise?

Senate Bill 270, approved by the Oregon Legislature in the 2013 Legislative Session, established the Work Group on University Shared Services, consisting of the Presidents of the seven public universities or their designees.  The legislation tasked the Work Group with developing a recommended “shared services” model that would deliver efficient and effective administrative operations to participating universities in a manner that focused on quality, responsiveness and customer service and that sought to achieve cost savings, economies of scale, accountability, transparency and streamlining.  The Work Group recommended establishing, and ultimately did establish, the formation of the University Shared Services Enterprise, or USSE for short. 

USSE provides essential support to Oregon’s Public Universities (OPUs) allowing each to focus on mission-critical, student-centered outcomes.  

For more information on USSE, please visit:  https://usse-oregon.org/ 

For more information on USSE’s Labor Relations Services, please visit:  https://usse-oregon.org/labor-relations

Are all the Universities going to negotiate collectively with SEIU?

Yes.  The law requires that universities with a governing board continue to bargain collectively with statewide bargaining organizations that existed when the legislature passed Senate Bill 270.   SEIU Local 503 was the only statewide bargaining organization that existed at the time the legislature passed Senate Bill 270. 

The Universities are committed to negotiating together and have signed an SEIU Collective Bargaining Statement of Work agreeing to bargain collectively with SEIU for a successor contract with SEIU.  

THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

Which Universities are covered by the current contract with SEIU Local 503?

Eastern Oregon University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon Sate University, Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, University of Oregon, and Western Oregon University.

Which employees at those Universities are covered by the current contract?

The classified employees.  These employees are in approximately 270 different classifications ranging from academic and administrative support, allied health, housing and dining, maintenance and operations, information technology, public safety, and more. 

How many classified employees are covered by the current contract between the Universities and SEIU Local 503?

There are roughly 4,500 classified employees covered by the contract.

When does the current contract between the Universities and SEIU Local 503 expire?

The current contract expires June 30, 2026.

NEGOTIATIONS

If the contract expires in 2026, why are the parties negotiating now?

The Universities and Union agreed during the last round of negotiations that there would be an economic reopener to negotiate salary and up to seven (7) other articles, attendant letters of agreement or letters of agreement that each party could decide it wants to negotiate.

What are Ground Rules?

Ground Rules are simply guidelines that the Universities and Union agree to follow during negotiations.  The Ground Rules between the parties were agreed to in October of 2023.

When did negotiations begin?

The current collective bargaining agreement and the Ground Rules set forth that negotiations officially began on October 1, 2023.  

When will negotiations occur next?

The dates, times, and locations of when negotiations take place are discussed and agreed by the Universities and Union either at the end of a negotiation session or shortly thereafter.  We will post the dates, times, and locations of negotiations under the Negotiation Updates tab.

Where are negotiations held?

Most negotiations will be held within the Willamette Valley, either at Portland State University, Oregon Tech’s Wilsonville campus, Oregon State University, Western Oregon University, or the University of Oregon.  The parties may also hold negotiations at either Eastern Oregon University, Oregon State University Cascades or Newport campuses, Oregon Tech’s Klamath Falls’ campus, or Southern Oregon University.  The Universities and Union are committed to visiting as many campuses as possible, and will make every effort to do so.

Who is on the Universities’ Bargaining Team?

The Universities’ Bargaining Team includes Chris McLaughlin (EOU), Sandi Hanan (OIT), Scott Southard (OSU), Terrill Bartee (PSU), Alana Lardizabal (SOU), Chris Meade (UO), Desiree Noah (WOU), Huck Koester (Notetaker), and Brian Caufield (USSE).

How long will negotiations take place?

That depends on when the parties reach agreement. There is, however, language in the parties’ contract that says these negotiations will begin October 1, 2023, that all economic proposals will be presented by November 1, 2023, and that after January 1, 2024, upon the request of either party there will be a joint request for mediation made to the Oregon Employment Relations Board.

What is the PECBA timeline?

The Oregon Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act (“PECBA”) provides that the Universities and Union must engage in good faith bargaining for at least 150 calendar days, unless they agree to a shorter timeframe for negotiations.  Here, the parties’ agreed to a 90-day timeframe starting October 1, 2023. If no agreement is reached after the 90-days (January 1, 2024), either party can request mediation and both parties will jointly ask for the assistance of a mediator that is appointed by the Oregon Employment Relations Board.  The parties are required to then be in the mediation process for at least 15 calendar days from the date of the first mediation session.  If no agreement is reached during mediation, the parties can continue mediation or either party may declare an impasse.  If an impasse is declared, both parties must file with the mediator a Final Offer and cost summary within 7 calendar days of declaring impasse.  Those Final Offers and cost summaries are available to the public.  Once the Final Offer filed, there is a 30-day “cooling-off” period to allow for more negotiations in an attempt to reach an agreement.  If the parties still are unable to reach agreement, upon proper notice to the other party, the Union can strike and the Universities can implement all or part of their Final Offer.

Why do I have to wait until after a negotiation session to get a summary of the Universities’ proposals?

The Union is the exclusive bargaining representative of the Universities’ classified employees, and the law requires that the Universities must first present proposals to the Union before discussing those proposals with their employees.  After those proposals are presented to the Union, the Universities can provide summaries or copies of those proposals.  We intend to do just that under the Negotiation Updates tab.

MEDIATION

What is mediation and why are they parties there after a short time negotiating?

Mediation is the second phase of the negotiations process outlined in PECBA.  As discussed above, PECBA is Oregon’s statute governing public sector labor relations.  The statute allows parties in negotiations to jointly request mediation at any time. The OPUs and SEIU agreed in the collective bargaining agreement that the direct bargaining for these negotiations would last 90 days and that there would be a joint request for mediation after January 1, 2024.  The OPUs and SEIU filed the joint request for mediation and the Oregon Employment Relations Board assigned an independent mediator to assist the parties in finding common ground and resolving outstanding issues.  

How long does mediation last?

There is no set timeframe for how long the parties can be in mediation with the assistance of a mediator, but there is a requirement that before either party declares impasse 15 calendar days must past from the first session the parties hold with a mediator.

Are mediation sessions open to the public?  

No.  Mediation is a confidential process attended only by those authorized to negotiate on behalf of each party.  Moreover, proposals made during the mediation process are considered confidential unless a party identifies the proposal as public.  If that occurs, the offer is considered public and can be shared outside the negotiation room.

IMPASSE

What is impasse?

Impasse is phase of the negotiations process outlined in Oregon’s Collective Bargaining Act, a state law governing public sector labor relations.  Impasse can be declared by either party so long as they have completed the direct bargaining phase and at least 15 days of mediation.

Why did SEIU declare an impasse in the negotiations?

We are unsure why SEIU declared impasse, particularly since they did so days before another scheduled mediated bargaining session. 

What happens after a party declares impasse?

Once impasse is declared, both parties are required to file their “final offers” with a cost summary of their proposals with the state mediator assigned to assist the parties.  The mediator then makes those final offers public and that begins a 30-day cooling-off period. 

Does declaring impasse mean that negotiations end?

No.  The parties are obligated to continue negotiating until an agreement is reached. 

Does a “final offer” really mean final?

It depends.  Since the parties are obligated to continue negotiating until an agreement is reached, the parties may propose changes in the proposals they have made in their final offers. 

Does declaring impasse mean that the OPUs will implement their own terms?

No.  Implementation, if any, can only occur after the cooling-off period ends and only after the OPUs provides sufficient notice to SEIU of what employment terms, if any, they intend to implement.  Sufficient notice means that the notice must be clear as to the terms and date of implementation.  In addition, the OPUs are required to provide such notice in advance of the implementation to allow SEIU a reasonable amount of time to consider the terms of implementation. 

Does declaring impasse mean that SEIU will strike?

No.  A strike, if any, can only occur after the cooling-off period ends and only after SEIU provides the OPUs with a 10-day notice.  The notice must specify the first day of the strike and the reasons for the strike, including the list of unresolved issues.  While the notice may be sent during the 30-day cooling off period, a strike cannot occur until after the 30-day period has expired.

When does the cooling off period end?

          Sunday, March 31.

University Shared Services Enterprise
University Plaza
1600 SW Western Blvd, Suite 250
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