The Universities’ Bargaining Team firmly believes in transparent negotiations. We will post our summaries of the negotiations along with occasional links to proposals or tentative agreements within approximately one week from the last day of the negotiations session. Hopefully our posts will have the effect of opening negotiations to everyone.
Below is the schedule of negotiations that the parties have agreed to so far and summaries of the negotiation sessions that have already occurred. Please check back here for summaries of future negotiation sessions.
Schedule:
February 12 & 13: University of Oregon (Eugene)
March 5 & 6: Western Oregon University (Monmouth)
March 20: Portland State University (Portland)
March 30 & 31: Oregon State University (Corvallis)
April 23 & 24: Oregon State University (Bend)
May 14 & 15: University of Oregon (Eugene)
May 28 & 29: Southern Oregon University (Ashland)
June 29 & 30: Oregon State University (Corvallis)
July 8 & 9: Eastern Oregon University (LaGrande)
February 12 & 13:
Contract negotiations between the Oregon Public Universities (OPUs) and classified staff represented by SEIU (Union) began with both teams meeting on Feb. 12 and 13 at the University of Oregon. The session largely consisted of the parties presenting their opening statements, working to finalize Ground Rules, and each party presenting two contract proposals.
At the beginning of the negotiations, the parties presented their opening statements with the OPUs going first. The Universities’ opening statement described the 2026 negotiations occurring within a period of significant financial strain, citing declining enrollment driven by the national “enrollment cliff,” reduced state funding per student, increased legislative oversight, and structural budget gaps occurring within each university. The Universities noted rising benefit costs — particularly retirement expenses – are growing faster than wages. The Universities also noted Southern Oregon University’s recent declaration of financial exigency as evidence of the seriousness of current fiscal conditions.
The Universities acknowledged the Union’s priorities around wages, benefits, workload protections, and union access, but also emphasized that financial constraints limit what can sustainably commit to. As for their own goals during these negotiations, the Universities said they would focus on maintaining operational flexibility, preserving strong healthcare and retirement benefits, adapting to financial and technological changes, ensuring long-term sustainability, and providing for an affordable education for students.
SEIU’s opening statement framed the negotiations within a period of significant uncertainty for higher education, citing factors such as declining enrollment, reduced funding, and broader economic pressures affecting campuses and workers. While acknowledging that universities face real financial challenges, the Union emphasized that classified staff should not be expected to shoulder disproportionate burdens nor be scapegoated while the universities address budget challenges.
SEIU stated that classified employees and union labor strengthen campuses and local communities and said that classified staff are essential to sustaining enrollment and achieving student success. The Union stated it remains open to creative, long-term solutions and engagement with the Universities, the HECC, Legislators, and the Governor, , but made clear that its approach will depend on whether the Universities view SEIU as a genuine partner rather than a budget line item.
After opening statements, the parties worked to finalize Ground Rules. Largely the same as in previous years, the Ground Rules for these negotiations will allow observers to attend either in person or virtually. However, either party can move to have a bargaining session closed to virtual observers. However, each bargaining session will remain open to virtual observers for opening statements (already presented on Feb. 12), passage of initial proposals, and selective salary presentations. The intent of both parties is that the majority of all negotiation sessions will be open to virtual observing.
Finally, the OPUs passed their initial proposals on Personnel Records and Sick Leave. In its proposal on Personnel Records, the OPUs asked to establish a forty-five (45) calendar day period for employee inspection of personnel and supervisory files upon reasonable notice, in keeping with state law. The OPUs also proposed to retain disciplinary materials for a minimum of three (3) years with removal of materials upon written employee request if no recurrence of the discipline occurs, and that there is a presumption that a supervisory file is being kept without having the supervisor first notifying the employee.
The OPUs Sick Leave proposal asked to have sick leave usage align with applicable Oregon sick leave laws and university leave request procedures, and that a university may request a doctor’s note after an employee is on sick leave for three consecutive days. The OPUs also sought to apply the language found in state and federal family medical leave laws.
The Union proposed changes to Temporary Appointments and the Union Rights article. For Temporary Appointments, the Union requested that any department using a temporary position for more than nine continuous months must either demonstrate the end of this appointment or hire the temporary employee as a permanent classified employee. The Union also seeks to have the total period of a temporary appointment not exceed nine months.
For Union Rights, the Union seeks to strengthen new employee orientation language to include a 30-minute Union presentation within 30 days of hire. The Union asks that this meeting be mandatory for newly represented employees. The Union also proposed that a union steward, who is an employee of the university, accompany on paid time a union representative, who is not an employee of the university, when the representative needs access to a building that is only accessible to employees.
The parties will continue negotiations on Thursday, March 5, and Friday, March 6, at Western Oregon University.
March 5 & 6:
Contract negotiations between the Oregon Public Universities (OPUs) and classified staff represented by SEIU (Union) continued with representatives from both bargaining teams meeting on March 5 and 6 at Western Oregon University. Each bargaining team passed proposals on six articles, for a total of 12 articles.
The OPU bargaining team presented findings from a market study of base pay, benefits and total compensation provided classified employees under the current labor agreement between OPUs and the Union. The marked study was conducted by Trupp HR to help inform negotiations for a new labor agreement.
Article 21 of the Union contract has as its goal that total classified employee compensation levels be within 5% percent of market, based on a jointly developed market study that includes comparators, benchmarks, base pay and benefits. The OPUs worked with the Union to identify 59 employee positions under the contract that a compensation consultant would review to conduct the market study. The idea of choosing the positions was to have a representative cross section of positions within the contract. The consultant’s report found that, taken together, the OPU classified positions lead in every job category across all markets by 10% to 22% depending on the market that was compared. On an individual position basis, only eight employee positions were found to be 5% or more below the market for total compensation in one or two segments compared, but none fell below all the markets compared.
The OPU bargaining team passed proposals related to grievances, no discrimination, trial service, bereavement, vacation, and reclassification. Within the Grievance Article, the OPU bargaining team proposed modifications to the timelines and process involving Step 3, including eliminating the option that employees can bring cases involving discrimination and reclassification request under the grievance process. The modification is being requested since each of the universities have offices that deal with discrimination cases. And, in the case of reclassification requests, the OPU bargaining team said that class and compensation professionals at each university are believed to best suited to review and determine where a position should be classified, not an arbitrator. Within the Bereavement Article and Vacation Article, the OPUs bargaining team proposed changes to bring the maximum number of bereavement days to be in alignment with Oregon law. In the case of the Vacation Article, the OPUs bargaining team offered a proposal to update tax issues related to vacation payouts. Finally, in the Trial Service Article, the OPUs are seeking to require a trial service for classified employees who return from a layoff as the bargaining team said the demands of many job positions often change quickly.
The Union bargaining team suggested revisions to articles on subcontracting, personnel records, layoffs, academic year positions, and computer workstations. The Union also proposed language for a new article on Artificial Intelligence (AI). In the Subcontracting Article, the Union bargaining team proposed to remove the requirement that subcontracting only should apply if an employee is displaced, thereby opening the requirements of the article to many other situations. In the Article on Personnel Records, the Union proposal sought to allow union stewards to have access to an employee’s personnel and supervisory files without the employee being present, so long as the employee authorizes the release of the file to the union steward. Within the Layoff Article, the Union bargaining team proposed that timelines be modified and that those employees who were laid off be permitted to be placed on layoff recall lists in geographic areas of the university other than the area from which they were laid off. Within the Academic Year Article,, the Union bargaining team proposed that employees appointed to these positions have more options as it regards paying for health benefits over the summer. Within the Computer Workstations Article, the Union bargaining team proposed language that would require a university to notify an employee before any computer monitoring would occur and let the employee know how long such monitoring would take place..
In a proposal on AI, the Union bargaining team sought to establish guardrails for how AI may be introduced and used in classified employee workplaces. The Union proposes that AI must comply with privacy, confidentiality, and data protection laws, and not be used for intrusive employee monitoring or tracking. The Union’s proposal also aims to restrict universities’ use of AI for hiring, promotion, evaluation, or disciplinary actions, and mandates human oversight throughout each stage of classified employee-related processes.
The parties will continue negotiations on Friday, March 20, at Portland State University.
March 20:
Contract negotiations between the Oregon Public Universities (OPUs) and classified staff represented by SEIU (Union) continued with representatives from both bargaining teams meeting on March 20 at Portland State University. Each bargaining team passed proposals on two articles.
The OPU bargaining team passed a proposal on Article 17, the Discipline and Discharge Article. The proposed changes were largely meant to make the article clearer by rearranging the paragraphs, adding title headings, and removing language that may be inconsistent with proposals already made in bargaining sessions.
Two major changes were suggested. The first was to acknowledge that there are some instances where an investigation into alleged misconduct may be conducted by an office other than the employee’s department or the university’s human resources department, or investigated under certain regulations or requirements. For instance, allegations related to sexual harassment or discrimination may be investigated by an office of equity and inclusion or an office responsible for implementing Title IX. In those instances, the process called for under the disciplinary article is paused until an investigation is completed. And, in some instances there must be compliance with certain rules and regulations related to an investigation that must be followed, such as in the case of a Title IX investigation. Once the investigation is completed, the findings are often forwarded to human resources for a determination of discipline under the SEIU contract. At that time, the provisions of Article 17 would begin.
The other substantive change proposed related to a request to pause Article 17 processes. That change involved placing an employee on paid administrative leave during an investigation and proposed removing language that might consider the placement of an employee on paid leave to be disciplinary in nature, because it is not considered discipline.
The OPU bargaining team presented proposals on most of the Letters of Agreement. The proposals seek to modify or delete the Letters of Agreement that the OPU team said are no longer needed. One example includes the Optional Retirement Plan which has language that is already present in the statute of plan documents. The OPU bargaining team did not offer any substantive proposed changes to the Letters of Agreement.
The Union bargaining team presented suggested revisions to articles on Uniforms and Technological Changes. In the Uniform Article the Union requested that uniforms be appropriately fitted to an employee, that the cost of maintaining uniforms be paid by the University, and that suitable protective gear be provided for extreme wintry weather and for work in cold rooms. In Technological Changes Article, the Union proposed that notice to the Union be made in writing, that the committee described in the article be allowed to review anticipated technological changes, and that adequate time and training of a technological change be given to bargaining unit members.
The parties will continue negotiations on Monday and Tuesday, March 30 and 31, at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
March 30 & 31:
Contract negotiations between the Oregon Public Universities (OPUs) and classified staff represented by SEIU (Union) continued with representatives from both bargaining teams meeting March 30 and 31 at Oregon State University. The OPU bargaining team passed counter proposals on five articles and the Union bargaining team passed a counter proposal on the Non-Discrimination Article and proposals on Articles related to Affirmative Action, Inclement Weather, and Immigration.
The OPU bargaining team’s counter proposals were related to the following articles: Recognition, Personnel Records, Computer Workstations, Uniforms, and Technological Retraining. The OPU bargaining team rejected the Union bargaining team’s proposed changes in the Recognition and Computer Workstations articles. In Recognition, the universities seek to retain the possibility of retaining a temporary employee beyond nine months, if needed. In the proposal related to computer workstations, the OPU’s bargaining team said that in consideration of acceptable use policies used at all universities, there is no need to provide advance notice of computer monitoring that includes notice of what content is being monitored and the duration that monitoring might occur.
In the Personnel Records Article, the OPU bargaining team’s counter proposal sought to maintain language regarding the time that a university has to make a personnel and supervisory file available, as well as retain language regarding how long information regarding a disciplinary matter can remain in an employee’s file. The OPU counter proposal did accept most of the language that the Union had proposed regarding allowing a Union Steward to have access to an employee’s personnel and supervisory file.
Regarding the Uniforms Article, the OPU bargaining team accepted the Union’s language on providing clothing to those employees temporarily assigned to work outside in inclement weather or in a refrigerated room. In the Technological Retraining Article, the OPU bargaining team accepted most of the Union’s proposed changes,
The Union’s counter proposal on the Non-Discrimination Article sought to retain current language while providing modifications that bring the language into compliance with existing law. The Union also proposed adding additional language that would designate trained stewards to manage equity and discrimination matters and have stewards represent employees across universities, if needed. The Union also proposed that joint labor-management committees dedicate at least one quarterly meeting each year to discuss equity and non-discrimination issues, and that the universities continue to respect transgender employees’ rights, including using an employee’s chosen names and pronouns; updating records promptly; maintaining confidentiality; and allowing access to facilities consistent with an employee’s gender identity.
Related to the Affirmative Action Article, the Union bargaining team proposed a complete revision of the article that would require the Universities and Union to commit to non-discriminatory hiring practices that promote diversity, equity, and internal advancement opportunities. The Union also requested that the Universities actively recruit a diverse applicant pool, including women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, candidates with disabilities, and individuals from other historically marginalized groups.
In the Inclement Weather Article, the Union proposed that if an employee’s specific worksite is closed (even if the campus isn’t), they must either be given mutually agreed-upon alternative work or be allowed to use inclement weather hours. In addition, the Union proposed to maintain the 48 hours of inclement weather leave over a two-year period, plus an additional 48 to any employee who may exhaust the original 48, bringing the total possible amount of inclement weather to 96 hours.
Finally, the Union proposed adding a new contract article related to immigration. The proposed article seeks to establish protections for individuals who are immigrants related to employment verification, enforcement actions, and job security. The proposal seeks strong protections for immigrant workers by limiting applicant verification practices to what is legally required and ensures Union involvement throughout the process. The Union also proposed that employees receive detailed written notice of any work authorization issues and are granted up to 12 months of leave (with reinstatement and seniority) to resolve issues with a pathway back to employment even after termination. Specific to “no-match” letters, the Union proposed that these communications alone cannot trigger employee discipline or reverification, and that updates to an employee’s name or Social Security information cannot be used against an employee. The proposed language also seeks to require universities to restrict and actively manage access on campus by immigration enforcement officials. The Union also seeks to have judicial warrants required for access on campus by immigration enforcement officers; to have advance notice of an enforcement action provided to the union; and to limit employee document disclosure. The Union also proposed that employees who are wrongfully detained by immigration enforcement officials are to be protected from discipline and are entitled to job reinstatement by a university with full seniority upon release from being detained.
The parties will continue negotiations on Thursday and Friday, April 23 and 24, at Oregon State University’s Cascades Campus in Bend.
April 23 & 24:
Contract negotiations between the Oregon Public Universities (OPUs) and classified staff represented by SEIU (Union) continued with representatives from both bargaining teams meeting April 23 and 24 at Oregon State University’s OSU-Cascades campus in Bend. The OPU bargaining team passed proposals on four articles and the Union bargaining team passed its economic proposal.
The OPU bargaining team’s proposals were related to the following articles: Term of Agreement (also known as the length of the contract); Past Practices; Overtime; and a Letter of Agreement on meal plans at the University of Oregon and OSU. The OPU bargaining team proposed that the contract length be four years, expiring June 30, 2030. A four-year contract term is consistent with the past few contracts between the OPUs and the Union. In the article on Past Practices, the OPU bargaining team’s proposal seeks to contract language clearer and in line with existing law. It also seeks to protect the Union’s interests by adding language that clearly identifies which person at the Union will receive certain important notices. Regarding overtime, the OPU proposal seeks to bring the language in line with overtime rules that provide for actual time worked to be counted toward overtime and yet, when an employee is on leave away from the jobsite, not have that time counted toward overtime. Finally, the proposal related to the meal plans at UO and OSU was simply offered as housekeeping changes to update language to existing university practices.
The Union presented its economic offer during the session seeking to maintain status quo with respect to healthcare benefits, meaning that the Universities would continue to pay 95% or 97% of an employee’s healthcare costs. Regarding salary, the Union proposed the following:
Effective July 1, 2026, an increase equal to the average Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) (measured between May 2025 and May 2026), plus an additional 3% increase.
Effective July 1, 2027, an increase equal to average CPI-W (measured between May 2025 and May 2026), plus an additional 2% percent.
In both 2026 and 2027, the Union proposal states that no increase in compensation can be less than 4%
Additionally, the Union’s proposal seeks to add 1% to the Longevity Premium for every additional five years of service by an employee. As the OPU bargaining understood this proposal, a 16-year employee who was with their university for at least 5 years and was topped out on Step 10 of the salary schedule for at least 12-months, would receive a 4.5% longevity premium.
The Union also proposed a Letter of Agreement seeking a pilot program within two departments at each university to implement at 32-hour work week. Upon further questioning by the OPU bargaining, the Union’s intent of this proposal was understood to seek 40 hours of compensation for an employee but only require that an employee works 32 hours.
Finally, as part of the economic offer, the Union proposed that the term of the contract be only two years, expiring June 30, 2028.
The parties will continue negotiations on Thursday and Friday, May 14 and 15, at the University of Oregon where the OPU Bargaining Team will present its economic offer and the Union will have employees give presentations related to selective salary increases.
May 14 & 15:
Contract negotiations between the Oregon Public Universities (OPUs) and classified staff represented by SEIU (Union) continued with representatives from both bargaining teams meeting May 14 and May 15 at the University of Oregon in Eugene. During this session, the OPU bargaining team presented nine proposals, including its initial economic offer. The Union bargaining team presented one proposal and facilitated presentations from employees in several classifications advocating for selective salary adjustments.
The OPU bargaining team opened the session by outlining the significant financial challenges facing Oregon’s public universities. While financial pressures are not new, current conditions are particularly acute due to several converging factors:
- Years of declining state funding have significantly shifted the financial burden of earning a degree to students and made Oregon’s universities enrollment dependent.
- Rising fixed and contractual costs have outpaced available resources.
- Changes in federal policy and funding continue to impact universities’ teaching, operations and budgets.
- Uncertainty around, and reductions in, federal research dollars have impacted budgets.
- Loss of international student enrollment has negatively impacted budgets.
As well, the projected demographic “enrollment cliff,” with the states of Oregon and California expected to experience substantial declines in high school graduates over the next 15 years, will further reduce the pipeline of traditional college-aged students, and contribute to a Perfect Storm that will destroy traditional university revenue bases.
The OPU bargaining team then noted that the global accounting firm Deloitte recently released its sustainability assessment for Southern Oregon University and highlighted the severity of these challenges. That report also projects that SOU is operating with a current $12.5 million structural deficit, which is expected to grow to $16.9 million by FY30 if corrective action is not taken. The assessment also warns that, absent significant intervention from outside sources, SOU may be unable to meet cash obligations within the next 18 months.
In response, Deloitte identified cost-containment measures including hiring freezes, merit increase freezes, and COLA freezes. Overall, the assessment recommends substantial reductions to SOU’s Education and General (E&G) budget of 35%.
SOU is not the only university being affected:
- Portland State University is cutting $37 million over the next two years, or an equivalent of 5% of its budget.
- Oregon State University is directing departments to reduce their budgets by 5.1%.
- Western Oregon University is making cuts of $5 million over two years.
- The University of Oregon has already implemented $30 million in reductions and just announced another projected $65 million in budget cuts.
- Oregon Tech is reducing $500,000 from its budget.
- Eastern Oregon University made budget reductions moving into FY 25.
Yet, despite these realities, the Union proposed wage increases that are tied to the average CPI-W increase plus an additional 3.0% effective July 1, 2026. This increase equates to 6.50%. The Union also proposed that step increases, which average 4.62% for classified not at the top step, be maintained this year and next year. Combined, the proposed increase for an eligible employee is 11.12% in 2026.
The Union also proposed that on July 1, 2027, wages increase by the average CPI-W increase plus an additional 2.0%, with no classified employee receiving an increase less than 4.0%. When the Union’s base proposal for a 4.0% raise for 2027 is added to the average step increase, an employee not at the top step on July 1, 2027, would receive an increase of 8.62%.
Across the period, cumulative increases for these employees would total an approximate 19.74%.
The estimated total cost of the Union’s proposed wage increase, including associated benefit costs such as retirement and healthcare, is $239.4 million through FY 31.
The OPU bargaining team acknowledged the impact of rising living costs, including housing, food, and fuel. However, universities are also facing significant financial constraints and have limited ability to offset external economic pressures. Additionally, the State of Oregon is managing its own budget challenges, particularly in health and human services, making additional higher education funding unlikely.
Given these unprecedented financial conditions, the universities are prioritizing preserving core academic operations, maintaining student access, and ensuring institutional survival and long-term sustainability. Doing so will mean stabilizing university finances while navigating one of the most challenging periods facing higher education in decades.
With these considerations in mind, the OPU bargaining team presented its initial economic proposal, which includes:
Meeting the Union’s priority of preserving benefits for four years, including:
- Continuing PERS unchanged, including the 6.0% employer paid employee contribution.
- At least 95% employer-paid healthcare
Regarding compensation:
- Steps and base salary increases would remain unchanged through June 30, 2028.
- Both would be subject to renegotiation during an economic reopener in early 2028.
The proposal also includes placing information technology classifications onto a step schedule for consistency across classifications.
In addition to the Universities’ initial economic offer, the OPU bargaining team also proposed housekeeping changes to the Letter of Agreement on the Human Resources Information System Article and permitted the movement of full-time employees from monthly time reporting to mid-month time reporting. There was also a proposal that any university wishing to move to bi-weekly pay could open relevant portions of the contract to discuss then with the Union.
In keeping with one of its bargaining priorities, the OPU bargaining team proposed that the Universities be granted more flexibility in the articles on Subcontracting and Layoffs.
Subcontracting:
In Subcontracting, the OPUs proposal seeks to eliminate obstacles of conducting and preparing a feasibility study before deciding to initiate the contracting out process required under the current agreement.
Removing this step would allow Universities the flexibility to initiate the process with a proposal to the Union that identifies potential cost savings, service quality, and other benefits that would result from contracting out work presently provided by an employee. The Union would then have at least 30 days to provide an alternate proposal to the University.
If the Union’s proposal would result in potential cost savings, service quality, and other benefits equal to or greater than those identified by the University, the parties would agree in writing to implement the Union proposal. Otherwise, the OPU bargaining team proposal would allow a University to move forward with the contracting out.
In the Subcontracting Article, the OPU team also proposed to remove language that required a contractor to hire displaced workers subject to a “just cause standard and continuation” of PEBB healthcare. The OPU bargaining team noted that proposed language would move displaced employees into vacant positions at the University and, regarding continuation of PEBB coverage, the OPU team said it did not believe contractors could be part of PEBB when they are not a public employer.
Layoff:
In the Layoff Article, the OPU bargaining team proposed to eliminate the displacement process whereby an employee with more seniority than another employee could “bump” that employee out of their position, saving the jobs of more senior employees and causing less-senior employees to be laid off. The OPU team noted that the displacement process is disruptive to the employee whose position was not subject to a layoff and university operations. Moreover, the OPU bargaining team said employees often decide to not “bump” another employee, effectively eliminating that prospect in the layoff process.
In making its layoff proposal, the OPU team also proposed that an employee would have 60 days to be qualified in the new vacant position, up from only the 2-week requirement that is in the current contract. In addition, the OPU bargaining team proposed that an employee going through a layoff can be considered for a vacant position in any of the university’s geographic locations and, if laid off, be on a recall list for two years. Both are an increase to what is currently in the contract. At present, an employee can only be considered for a vacant position in the location where they currently work and be on a recall list for only one year.
The SEIU bargaining team proposed that the parties add a new article to the contract titled Successorship that would require any successor, purchaser, or transferee of an Oregon public university to recognize the Union and remain bound by the existing collective bargaining agreement. The Union also requires a university to give the Union advance notice of any transaction resulting in a transfer and provide documentation showing the successor was informed of and agreed to collective bargaining obligations.
The parties will continue negotiations on Thursday and Friday, May 28 and 29, at the Southern Oregon University in Ashland.
May 28 & 29:
June 18:
June 29 & 30:
July 8 & 9:
