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Sign the Higher Ed strike pledge.

The pledge is not a strike-authorization vote. It tells our bargaining team and management that workers reject the current offer and are ready to keep fighting.

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Oregon public worker rights

Oregon law protects workers who follow the legal strike process.

The Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act, or PECBA, gives many Oregon public workers the right to strike after required bargaining steps. Our union manages that process and will tell members exactly when a lawful strike would begin.

Legal information reviewed: July 20, 2026. This page is educational, not individual legal advice.

Oregon’s legal process

How our union reaches a lawful strike

The Oregon Employment Relations Board says bargaining for a successor contract generally starts with at least 150 calendar days of good-faith negotiations. Either side may then request mediation. After at least 15 days in mediation, either side may declare impasse, which makes final offers and cost summaries public. A 30-day cooling-off period follows. For workers who may legally strike, our union must also give at least 10 days’ notice stating the intent and reason. The notice can be sent during the cooling-off period, but a strike cannot begin before that period ends. [1]

  1. Bargaining: our bargaining team and management exchange proposals and bargain in good faith.
  2. Mediation: a state mediator helps both sides work toward an agreement.
  3. Impasse and public final offers: unresolved positions and cost summaries become public.
  4. Cooling-off period and notice: the law creates more time for settlement before a lawful strike can begin.
Not every public worker may strike. Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 243.736 and 243.738 prohibit strikes by certain public safety, emergency and transit workers. Classified university staff are in a strike-permitted bargaining framework, but only a properly called strike after the required process is covered. [1] [2]

Your protected rights—and their limits

Under PECBA, management may not interfere with, restrain or coerce workers who exercise protected rights. Management also may not discriminate in hiring, tenure or a term or condition of employment to encourage or discourage union membership. The law protects the right to participate in our union’s lawful activities. [2]

These protections do not cover every action during a labor dispute. Threats, violence, property damage, unlawful picketing, confidentiality violations or a prohibited work stoppage can create separate consequences. Follow instructions from our strike leadership and keep your conduct peaceful and factual.

What our contract and current extension say

Our posted 2022–2026 higher education agreement contains Article 8, a no-strike/no-lockout clause “during the term of this Agreement.” Although Article 4 of the posted PDF lists June 30, 2026, as the expiration date, SEIU Local 503 reported that our union and the universities extended the current agreement through Aug. 31, 2026, while bargaining continues. Article 14 governs successor negotiations. Our contract also preserves union representation in grievance matters and contains grievance timelines. [3] [4]

Important distinction: Do not infer a right to stop work from the date printed in the older PDF. Treat the no-strike clause as continuing during the reported extension unless current legal guidance from our union says otherwise. An extension date also does not announce a strike or prove that every PECBA prerequisite has been completed.

If management asks about strike activity

  • Stay calm and ask whether the conversation could lead to discipline.
  • If so, clearly request union representation before answering investigative questions. See the Weingarten rights guide.
  • Before recording a conversation, contact a steward about Oregon law and workplace rules. Take notes during or immediately after the conversation.
  • Save written messages you are entitled to keep. Note dates, exact words, witnesses and actions.
  • Ask management to put any direction in writing, then contact a steward.
Sources

Law, contract and bargaining status used for this guide

  1. Oregon Employment Relations Board, PECBA dispute-resolution process — agency summary of bargaining, mediation, impasse, cooling-off and strike notice.
  2. Oregon Revised Statutes chapter 243 — see ORS 243.662, 243.672, 243.726, 243.736 and 243.738.
  3. 2022–2026 Oregon Public Universities–SEIU agreement (PDF) — Articles 4, 8, 10, 14 and 18.
  4. SEIU Local 503, Higher Ed Bargaining 2026 — June 30 update reporting that the current agreement was extended through Aug. 31, 2026.

Reviewed by Local 083

We prioritize Oregon law, agency guidance, our contract and information from service providers. The review date shows when we last checked this guide.

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