Following 10 months of bargaining, the University of Oregon Student Workers union, has declared an impasse, meaning they have reached a point in negotiation where they are unable to make further progress with UO administration, UOSW announced in a statement.
“The union and university administration are yet to agree on issues including wages, pay period and grievance and arbitration,” UOSW said.
According to the statement, both sides now have until March 19 to submit “final offers with costing” before a 30-day cooling-off period begins.
“We obviously don’t want to move toward a strike but our members are fed up,” Mae Bracelin, a bargaining team member and dining worker in Global Scholars Hall, said in the statement. “My coworkers are struggling to afford rent and groceries and are waiting an unreasonably long time for their paychecks.”
The statement also said both sides had the opportunity to call for an impasse on Jan. 21.
According to the statement, Izzie Marshall, a member of UO’s bargaining team and worker in the EMU said the decision to declare impasse was not made “lightly.”
“10 months is unreasonably long to address some of student workers’ key issues. We’re ready to talk about these things but UO has outright dismissed many of our most important issues,” Marshall said.
According to UO Spokesperson and Director of Issues Management Angela Seydel, UO values its “student workers and appreciate(s) their contributions and shared commitment to the university.”
“The University of Oregon remains committed to reaching a first contract that reflects the contributions of student workers, provides clarity for employees and supervisors, and ensures the long-term stability of student employment,” Seydel said. “Progress has been made, and we will continue to negotiate in good faith to reach a fair and workable agreement.”
Seydel also said UO “must also balance the financial realities of operating a public university in a state with historically low state funding for public university operations.”
“We remain focused on ensuring that student employment opportunities remain accessible, well-supported, and aligned with our mission to serve all students,” Seydel said.
Editor’s Note:
A previous version of this article stated that UOSW’s strike could take place after March 19. To clarify, the exact date of UOSW’s strike is still unknown.
According to Carolyn Roderique, a staff organizer for UOSW, the union cannot go on strike until 37 days after the impasse.
The impasse took place on March 12.
Furthermore, this article states that the contract negotiations “failed.” Both sides can still submit offers and are still able to negotiate.
