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No SEIU strike Monday, as univ admins show potential for rational thought

By uomatters on 09/27/2019

Last updated on 09/28/2019

Updated as information develops:

9/28/2019: Tentative agreement signed, strike is off:

The universities caved. Presumably Gov. Brown phoned in last night to explain that she didn’t want a strike back home spoiling her 2019 IAAF Doha junket.

Details on the UO HR website here.

  • 3.0% COLA, effective July 1, 2019;
  • 2.10% COLA, effective July 1, 2020;
  • A Longevity Premium of 2.5% given yearly to classified employees who have been at the University at least five (5) years and have been at the top of their salary range for at least a year from their salary eligibility date;
  • Commitment to keeping entry level-wages at all universities above Portland-metro area universities’ minimum wage by eliminating steps of the salary schedule that are below that rate;
  • Provided employees with 48 hours of paid time over the course of the 2-year agreement to be used in the event of campus closures and delays due to inclement weather or hazardous conditions;
  • Healthcare, pension, holidays, vacations, sick leave, personal leave, bereavement, and other benefits remain the same as the previous contract.

9/27/2019: Negotiations continue, as does planning by SEIU and their allies for a strike starting Monday at 7AM.  Jordyn Brown has a story in the RG here, It includes a link to what appears to be an official UO form to report strike issues/concerns. Meanwhile SEIU has a place for allies to sign-up for picket lines below. There will be a rally at Johnson Hall at noon Monday.
Solidarity 2

STRIKE ALERT
SEIU 002

After nearly a year of bargaining in good faith, all signs are pointing to an SEIU503 Higher Ed strike at all 7 public universities on Monday, September 30th.

If you support the rights of workers please go to the link provided and sign up to join us on the Picket line. As a note, they will also need a special 6-8pm shift which is not listed.
***
GTFF 001

Today the GTFF also filed for impasse today, starting a 7 day timer for a “best final offer” and then 30 day cooling off period, before they could potentially strike. Please also sign their community support pledge: http://bit.ly/SupportGEs
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UNION IS STRENGTH

There is a war being waged against the Working Class! Corporations get a free ride while working class folk get squeezed more and more. The only protections you have is To UNITE, To ORGANIZE, To UNIONIZE!!!

Only by standing and working together will we take back our country from the Corporations and the Crooked Politicians

EVERY TIME THE BOSSES CRUSH A STRIKING UNION IT HURTS ALL WORKERS, EVERY TIME THE BOSSES WIN, WORKERS EVERYWHERE LOSE!!!!

©2019 solidaritynetwork.org | PO Box 10272 Eugene, OR 97404

Published in Uncategorized

uomatters

8 Comments

  1. Fishwrapper 09/27/2019

    Message to the purple people today at a campus north of yours:

    While management is nickel and diming us at the bargaining table, OSU seems to have money to burn. $1.65 million dollars to be exact, purchasing this home for the as yet unhired president. We hope the new president will enjoy the pond, 2.3 acres and 13 rooms with nearly 7000 sq ft. (Located at 3480 SW Western).

    Bargaining will continue today, and is scheduled for Sunday. We will post on seiu503.org, text and email you if the strike is on or off, and details of bargaining.

    Plenty of grim faces leaving campus at the end of the day. Then again, the gridiron group has a home game tomorrow, and lately that’s been all it takes to bring the level of joy down a notch or two…

    Reply
  3. The Issue 09/28/2019

    What I have never understood in Oregon is that SEIU “supposedly” has the governor and the legislature in their back pocket but those good friends never seem to allocate funds just for classified workers. If I were SEIU I would have asked good old Kate and her buddies to put in the funding allocation that “X” number of dollars was earmarked for classified employee compensation. This way they can bargain those funds, there is no argument if the money is there or not, no growing PERS payments out of it, etc. SEIU endorses candidates, contributes money to their election but all you get is a nice phone call from the governor. Change your funding request strategy. The reason state workers get so much more if there funding is earmarked for classified employee compensation. Higher ed funding is not. That earmarking makes state employee bargaining much easier.

    I realize it’s a little late in this game but if you are going to buy politicians they might as well do more than smile at you, shake hands on a pocket line and give you nice phone calls.

    Reply
  6. Fishwrapper 09/28/2019

    So this is encouraging: From the SEIU team this morning –

    After 22 hours of negotiating, the Bargaining Team reached an agreement with management early Saturday morning on an increase in wages and benefits that will mean the best contract in over a decade for you and your coworkers. The contract includes the highest COLAs we’ve seen and retroactive raises for all workers.

    Here are the highlights:

    COLA: The largest COLA in more than a decade, 3% retroactive to July 1, 2019 pending ratification and another 2.1% starting July 1, 2020. Management started negotiations with just a .5% COLA on the table. We were only able to push them this far because of our work to get strike ready.
    HEALTHCARE: No change in the premium share rate for you and your coworkers, a significant improvement from the 10% increase that management originally proposed.
    INCLEMENT WEATHER: 48 hours of paid inclement weather over the 2 year contract to be used if campuses are closed. This statewide inclement weather policy is better than any contract we have seen.
    STEPS: Regular steps in both years of the contract means that a worker who is not topped out will see a nearly 15% increase (Steps+COLAs) over the 2 years of the contract. Management’s initial proposal on steps was a complete freeze for the duration of the contract.

    LONGEVITY DIFFERENTIAL: All workers with 5 years of service who are “topped out” will get an ongoing 2.5% differential on 11/1/19.

    We were only able to come this far because you are your coworkers were ready to stick together and walk out on Monday. Together, we fought back take-aways proposed by management on wages, health care, steps, and personal days, and won higher wages for all workers. This hard-fought victory is a testament to the strength and solidarity of you and your coworkers. We have never built a campaign this strong, which is why we won the best contract we have seen in over a decade.

    Reply
    • Dog 09/28/2019

      this is good
      but this is brinksmanship run amuck on the part of our Admin

      Reply
      • The Issue 09/28/2019

        Might be brinksmanship for yours. Imagine if you had to bargain with faculty from every university in Oregon at the same time? They are in very different financial positions. Likely some of the smaller schools have difficult decisions ahead with this agreement. This is itself causes some of what you might call “brinksmanship.” It’s not just the “O” in the room.

        Reply

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