Contract agreement reached for UO classified staff

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A tentative contract agreement has been reached between Oregon’s public universities — including University of Oregon — and  the Service Employees International Union.

The following release was issued by the University Shared Services Enterprise, which negotiated with SEIU on behalf of the state’s seven public universities:  

Oregon Public Universities Reach Settlement Agreement with SEIU

September 10, 2015, Corvallis, OR -- Early this morning Oregon’s Public Universities reached agreement with their largest labor union, SEIU Local 503, OPEU, settling the contract that covers roughly 4,400 classified employees in over 270 positions across all seven Universities. 

Brian Caufield, Director of Labor Relations with the University Shared Services Enterprise and Universities' Chief Spokesperson said, “The Universities and SEIU worked diligently for the past nine months to address each other’s interests, while keeping in mind the needs of the students that we all serve.  The process, at times, was challenging, but both sides kept focused and ultimately reached a fair and reasonable deal. Our thanks goes out to the Bargaining Teams for their diligence, time and effort throughout the process.”

The settlement reached includes the following core terms:

  • Full salary steps given to all employees on their eligibility date in each year of the contract;
  • 2.25% cost of living increases given December 1, 2015 and December 1, 2016;
  • 95% employer paid healthcare contributions and an opportunity for employees to have 97% of their contributions paid provided they choose a least costly plan in their area;
  • A $40 subsidy given to employees earning below a set monthly amount to assist with their portion of the healthcare contribution;  
  • Specific salary increases, in addition to the above, given to certain classifications to bring those classifications in-line with the market;
  • A four (4) year contract that includes a reopener in 2017 to address economic areas only; and
  • Changes throughout the contract which recognize the independence of the Universities.