<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=27Q821_1Fb9Du7F00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=27Q821_1Fb9Du7F00" width="840" height="560" ><figcaption>Nathan Wilk / KLCC SEIU workers at the University of Oregon in Eugene celebrate reaching a tentative agreement on a new labor contract, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026.</figcaption></figure>Classified workers at Oregon’s seven public universities have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with the state’s higher education institutions.SEIU 503 announced early Monday morning — just hours before its members were set to picket — that the strike was off.The statewide union represents school custodians, dining hall workers, office and support staff and more at Oregon State, Portland State, Western Oregon, Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon universities, University of Oregon and the Oregon Institute of Technology.Members celebrated at different campuses Monday with pizza parties, coffee and other treats throughout the day. They shared congratulations and cheers of “we won” in person and online.The tentative agreement includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment this year and 3% next year, along with revised policies on layoff protections and health insurance, according to the union. SEIU officials said they won’t have a copy of the tentative agreement to share publicly for a few days.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1NLp7t_1Fb9Du7F00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1NLp7t_1Fb9Du7F00" width="840" height="560" ><figcaption>Monica Carrillo-Casas / OPB Field organizers from SEIU provide union workers at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande with Pizza Hut to celebrate the tentative collective bargaining agreement reached Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, just before a strike was scheduled to begin.</figcaption></figure>Jennifer Smith, the classified union president for the University of Oregon, said the contract results will help workers beyond SEIU.“We’re setting a standard here for not only other unions on campus, not only other unions across Lane County and in the state of Oregon, but also for non-union workers who don’t have the ability to collectively bargain,” Smith said. “But now, we’re setting a standard for wages and benefits across the state.”Bill Knight, the president of a different union at Portland State, the American Association of University Professors, said he’s happy about where the classified negotiations landed. But he argues it shouldn’t have been so hard to get there.“It’s unfortunate that they received such lowball offers for so long,” Knight said, “but here we are in a situation where they feel like they got what they wanted, and that’s really wonderful.”Western Oregon University President Jesse Peters said these negotiations were especially difficult because Oregon’s universities face “severe financial constraints,” stemming primarily from sustained low state support — 46th in the nation.This will be a key topic for lawmakers in the spring as they review the findings from House Bill 4124, which directs the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission to study Oregon’s public colleges and universities and recommend ways to make the system financially sustainable.Knight also acknowledged the broader landscape.“We’re involved in really changing the culture of public higher education and public university funding in Oregon,” Knight said. “So, we are in the middle, and maybe even at the beginning, of a long fight, but we’re ready to transform this state. We believe we have the opportunity to do it.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1TEdAE_1Fb9Du7F00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1TEdAE_1Fb9Du7F00" width="840" height="636" ><figcaption>Nathan Wilk / KLCC Jennifer Smith, the classified union president for the University of Oregon, speaks during the contract celebration in Eugene on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026.</figcaption></figure>In an email to the WOU campus community on Monday, Desiree Noah, Western’s chief human resources officer, thanked everyone for their hard work in reaching the agreement.She acknowledged that the uncertainty of the past several days was not easy. The school year has just begun for Oregon’s public universities — some schools, like UO and PSU, started classes Monday.“Many people across WOU put significant time into planning for Monday while continuing to support our students and one another,” Noah said, “and I am grateful for that work.”SEIU members are expected to vote on the tentative contract soon.KLCC’s Nathan Wilk contributed to this story.</div></body>

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Classified workers at Oregon’s seven public universities have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with the state’s higher education institutions. SEIU 503 announced early Monday morning — just hours before its members were set to picket — that the strike was off. The...

Oregon’s public universities, classified workers narrowly avoid strike

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Classified workers at Oregon’s seven public universities have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with the state’s higher education insti

Oregon’s public universities, classified workers narrowly avoid strike

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