The September 2026 guidance below is retained as history. It is not a current instruction to picket or apply for strike benefits.
History: September 2026 strike preparation and guidance
Our 2026 higher education contract campaign
Get strike ready. Take care of each other.
Our union has delivered a notice identifying Sept. 28 at 6 a.m. as the intended strike start. Use this checklist to prepare your household, understand your rights and ask for the support you need. Bargaining continues; check our latest written instructions before changing work plans. [1]
Updated: Sept. 19, 2026. Use our strike hub for the dated status and sources.
Start here
A household-first readiness checklist
Whatever questions you still have about the intended strike, you can take practical steps now to protect your household, records and access to information.
Before any strike
Save our union’s contact information outside your work account.
Download recent pay statements, leave balances and benefit documents you are allowed to keep.
List essential bills and due dates; ask creditors about hardship options early.
Review the unemployment insurance and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) limits before building a budget around them.
Before the intended start
Confirm the date, time, covered bargaining unit and instructions through official updates from our union.
Use personal devices and accounts for strike activity, and protect confidential work information.
If you expect to claim unemployment, follow Oregon Employment Department instructions to apply or restart promptly and keep filing weekly claims. Waiting weeks still require eligibility. [4]
Keep copies of management messages and your own factual notes.
During a strike
Follow peaceful picket and safety instructions from our strike leaders.
Report hours and earnings accurately to benefit programs.
Talk with coworkers respectfully. Answer questions with facts, make space for concerns and never use threats or shame.
Send media or legal questions to the contacts named by our union.
Choose your question
Find the answer you need.
What does Oregon law protect?
Oregon’s legal strike process, protections against retaliation and the relevant parts of our contract.
A claim checklist, the strike-specific unpaid week, a possible waiting week on a new claim, the 2026 benefit limit, weekly requirements, SNAP and benefit cautions.
With your household: list rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, care costs and minimum debt payments. Separate money already available from benefits that require an application or have unconfirmed payment dates. Strike pay is taxable; the approved weekly maximum is not a take-home guarantee. [2][3]
With our organizer or a steward: confirm the covered bargaining unit, picket assignment, check-in process and accessible alternatives. Ask whether an alternative assignment qualifies for strike pay before including it in your budget. The published announcement specifies striking workers who attend a picket line. [2]
With OSU Benefits: ask for written coverage dates, eligibility requirements for your appointment, premium responsibilities and continuation options. Tell the benefits office about a time-sensitive coverage question; arrange a private way to share medical information. [5]
With Payroll and a steward: get the timekeeping instructions for your employee group, the applicable pay period and how unpaid strike time will affect your pay. Keep your own record of time worked and absent. Do not assume everyone receives an unchanged September paycheck.
With a coworker: share the latest written update, exchange personal contact information by consent and make room for questions. Ask about a ride, food, child care or an accessible role without promising a service that has not been arranged.
Keep your information within reach
Save our steward contact, our executive-team contact and these guides on a personal device. Keep only records you are entitled to possess; protect student, coworker and other confidential workplace information.
For benefits, track application dates, confirmation numbers, any documents requested and each program’s reporting instructions. Ask the agency how to report a payment rather than assuming strike pay, hardship aid and wages all count the same way.
If information conflicts: send our union the page or message date and the exact question. Use the agency for its benefit decisions, Payroll for payroll instructions and our representatives for your workplace rights. Do not substitute an old meeting example for current written instructions.
Sources
Support for this checklist
Source check: Sept. 19, 2026. The checklist also reflects member questions raised in our meeting; the transcript is not published as personal case advice.