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SEIU 503 HIGHER ED BARGAINING UPDATE Read in Spanish

It is time to get off the sidelines for a fair contract

With the contract deadline approaching, our bargaining team called for mass campus action and shared the proposals exchanged June 18.

By SEIU 503 Higher Ed Bargaining Team

Published

SEIU Local 503 Higher Education Bargaining 2026 Together in Solidarity campaign graphic.
Image courtesy of SEIU Local 503.

The hard truth is this: the universities don’t care what we say at the bargaining table if they don’t see us fighting on the ground. Our bargaining team can draft the sharpest counter-proposals and argue until we are blue in the face, but words alone will not win a fair contract. Management will only budge when they feel real, undeniable pressure—and that pressure has to come directly from you.

It’s Time to Get Off the Sidelines. Our contract expires on June 30!

Right now, the most pressing challenge facing our entire bargaining effort isn't a lack of ideas—it's a need for mass action on our campuses. If you are waiting for someone else to secure your raises, protect your benefits, or fight for your working conditions, stop waiting. We need every single person to step up, get loud, and show management that we are united and ready to act.

How to Show Up Right Now:

  • Join the CAT (Contract Action Team) Meetings: Get the strategy, get the materials, and help us organize your workplace.
    • Higher Ed Statewide CAT meeting - Salem Convention Center, 200 Commercial St SE, Salem. July 18, 9am - 5pm. Register Here.
  • Show Up at a Rally on Tuesday, June 30: Our contract expires on June 30. We are holding a Mass Rally on All Campuses, with the main hub at OSU’s McNary Field from 12–1 PM. See details below.
  • Make Yourself Visible: Wear your union colors, talk to your colleagues, and make sure management sees a united front every single day.

Rally on All Campuses on Tuesday, June 30!

We aren’t going to get management to blink on our own, we need all of you to show up with us. It’s time to put the pressure on in a big way. We’re having our main rally at OSU where we’ll be meeting with management, but there are other rallies planned on all 7 campuses. Let’s make it a day to remember. This is our biggest challenge right now, let’s show higher ed management that we’re not to be messed with! That’s the only way we’re going to win.

  • OSU - Main Bargaining Rally, 12-1pm, McNary Field. Register here.
  • UO - Solidarity Lunch on Johnson Hall steps. 12-1pm
  • PSU - Sign Making, Lunch & Bargaining Education, 11am-1pm, Park Blocks outside of Smith Memorial
  • EOU - Sign Making & Lunch, 11am-1pm, Quad or Hoke room if weather does not permit
  • WOU- Bargaining Lunch and Rally, 12-1pm, Meet at Todd Hall Courtyard followed by a short march through campus
  • Announcements for other campuses coming soon!

Proposals from both sides were shared at a closed session June 18th

Union

Management

Discipline Academic Year Positions
Grievance Procedure Computer Workstations
Layoff Uniforms and Protective Clothing
Reclassification
Computer Workstations
The use of temps to perform permanent work

Keep building our power

Sign the strike pledge, talk with coworkers and follow the bargaining hub for the latest actions and updates.

Source note

This update was originally published by the SEIU 503 Higher Ed Bargaining Team and is republished here in Local 083's news format. View the original bargaining page.