Our union siblings at the University of Washington are taking their fight for a fair contract into the streets. SEIU Local 925 workers rallied and marched in Seattle on Sept. 15, bringing the demand for better pay and working conditions into public view. Photos from the march show UW workers taking their fight for fair pay and working conditions directly to the public.
Here at Oregon State University, we have every reason to pay attention. We know what it means to keep a university running while pushing for wages that cover our bills and a contract that protects our work. We stand with our SEIU 925 siblings. Their determination deserves our support, and their organizing can strengthen ours.
Our siblings at UW are demanding better
In its Sept. 15 newsletter, the Washington State Nurses Association reported that UW had offered SEIU 925 classified workers no wage increases in either year, along with proposed takeaways. Nurses were invited to join the action in solidarity. The Washington Federation of State Employees also called on its UW members to march alongside our SEIU siblings.
UW workers are also fighting for better conditions on the job. UW’s own Sept. 10 bargaining recap describes SEIU 925 proposals for staffing standards and a process to report staffing concerns. Workers are organizing for the support they need to do their jobs well.
When workers from different unions show up together, management can see that these concerns reach across job titles and departments. A university’s promises to its students, patients and community depend on the people doing the work every day.
At OSU, we know what is at stake
Our contracts and bargaining tables are different, but the pressure on our paychecks is familiar. Rent, groceries, transportation and health care still have to be paid for. When our raises fall behind those costs, our paychecks buy less and our families feel the difference.
In our Sept. 11 SEIU 503 Higher Ed bargaining update, our team reported that Oregon university management was offering a 1.5% cost-of-living adjustment in the first year and 1% in the second. Management continued to seek a four-year agreement without guaranteed raises in years three and four, a second-year step freeze, removal of the guaranteed low-cost health plan, and changes to layoff and contracting-out protections.
Our bargaining team countered with 3% in each year of a two-year agreement and continued to reject the takeaways.
For classified staff at OSU, the stakes are concrete: what our paycheck can buy, whether we can afford our health care, and what protections we have when our jobs are threatened. We take pride in supporting students, research and public service. We deserve a contract that respects that work.
Bring that solidarity back to our worksites
Our siblings at UW are showing why a bargaining team needs coworkers organizing alongside it. We can carry that same commitment into our departments at OSU:
- Share their story. Talk with a coworker about the UW action and the demands we have in common.
- Keep each other informed. Read our union’s latest bargaining updates together and bring questions to our local leaders or Contract Action Team.
- Stay visibly involved. Wear purple, attend our union meetings and help coworkers connect with the next announced action.
From Seattle to Corvallis, university workers deserve pay we can live on and respect on the job. Our solidarity crosses campus boundaries. Our organizing starts with each other.