About 4,600 classified staff members at Oregon's seven public universities are prepared to walk off the job Monday if contract talks remain deadlocked, a strike that would land squarely on the first day of fall term classes at four of those campuses. Union members voted to authorize the strike by a 97% margin, and picket lines are already planned to form if a deal isn't reached during one final mediation session set for Sunday.
The Service Employees International Union Local 503 represents workers at the University of Oregon, Portland State University, Oregon State University, Western Oregon University, Southern Oregon University, Eastern Oregon University, and Oregon Institute of Technology, according to KATU. Negotiations between the union and the Coalition of Oregon Public Universities began in February and have dragged on for months, with the two sides still apart on salary increases, step increases, and contract length as the deadline approaches. Bargaining for all seven institutions is handled jointly through the University Shared Services Enterprise, an administrative body created after 2013 state legislation decentralized university governance while still requiring unified labor talks with SEIU, according to the University Shared Services Enterprise.
Where the Two Sides Still Disagree
Per KATU's report, SEIU is seeking 6% salary increases by July 2027, while the university coalition has proposed 4% by November 2027. The two sides do agree on an average 4.62% step increase for eligible employees, but disagree on timing: the union wants those step increases applied over two years, while management wants them spread across four. The union is also pushing for a two-year contract through June 2028, while the coalition has proposed a four-year deal running through June 2030.
Those numbers mark a shift from earlier in bargaining, when the university side's offer stood at a 1.5% base pay increase in year one and 1% in year two, far below the union's original ask of 3% annual cost-of-living adjustments, as reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting. The union has pointed to rising housing, utility, and fuel costs in university towns like Eugene, Corvallis, and Portland as justification for its demands.
During 13 hours of mediated bargaining on September 25, university negotiators moved to a 2% cost-of-living adjustment in each of the contract's first two years and dropped a proposal that would have eliminated workers' bumping rights during layoffs, according to SEIU Local 503's account of the session posted on its member news page. SEIU and the coalition also agreed that most proposals exchanged during mediation would remain confidential, though the two sides released their latest offers following Thursday's negotiations.
Workers Describe Financial Strain
The union has said more than half of its members worry about making it to their next paycheck. In a survey of classified staff, 28% said they were accumulating debt for basic living expenses, and nearly 25% expressed concern about running out of food, per the survey results reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting. Classified staff roles covered by the union include dining workers, custodians, IT support, administrative staff, and groundskeepers across the state's campuses. SEIU has also said members are increasingly going into debt to cover food, utilities, and gas just to get to work.
An SEIU-commissioned study cited by the Daily Emerald found that inflation-adjusted administrative spending at Oregon public universities rose from $238 million to $398 million over 10 years, while presidential compensation packages at some institutions approached $1 million annually. Union representatives also noted that Oregon ranks 44th nationally in higher education state funding, framing the pay dispute as part of a broader pattern of administrative growth outpacing support-staff wages.
University of Oregon's Share of the Bargaining Unit
About 1,500 of the statewide total of 4,600 union workers are classified staff at the University of Oregon alone, holding positions in facilities, dining, healthcare, IT, and academic administration, according to the Daily Emerald. SEIU has set up eight designated picket line locations across the seven campuses for Monday, with shifts scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and noon to 5 p.m., including sites at Portland State's SW Broadway and Harrison and Oregon State's 15th and Jefferson, per SEIU Local 503's strike planning page.
Universities Brace for Fall Term Disruptions
Portland State University says it will remain open and expects classes to continue as scheduled even if the strike proceeds, though the school has warned that some services and processes may pause or be delayed. The university anticipates longer response times from its registrar, financial aid, and information technology offices should the walkout occur, according to KATU. Portland State is one of four public universities whose fall term begins on the same day as the anticipated strike, alongside the University of Oregon.
SEIU and the university coalition are scheduled to resume negotiations Sunday, with picket lines set to form Monday if the two sides cannot reach an agreement. In 2019, SEIU Local 503 higher education members came within hours of a strike, according to the Daily Emerald's account of that history. Whether Sunday's session produces a similar last-minute breakthrough remains to be seen.
