Members of the Service Employees International Union have voted to ratify the terms in the tentative agreement reached by the parties in late September. 

This is the final step in the SEIU bargaining process and indicates that its members accept the tentative agreement previously reached by SEIU and Oregon’s public universities. The new contract terms are effective Nov. 1.

A high-level summary of the new contract terms includes:

• A 3 percent cost of living adjustment for all classified employees effective July 1 and a 2.1 percent COLA for all classified employees effective July 1, 2020, for a total 5.10 percent raise over two years.
• Full-step wage increases of 4.75 percent in each year of the next contract, representing a total of 9.5 percent over two years. This offer applies to more than 70 percent of classified employees not already at the top step of their classification.
• A longevity premium of 2.5 percent for classified employees who have been at the university at least five years and have been at the top of their salary range for at least a year from their salary eligibility date.
• A commitment to keep 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.
• Moved 15 job classifications to higher salary ranges.
• Forty-eight hours of paid time over the course of the two-year agreement to be used in the event of campus closures and delayed openings due to inclement weather or hazardous conditions.
• Agreement to keep meal costs at current rates for dining service employees at the UO.
• All other benefits — health care, pension, holidays, vacations, sick leave, personal leave, bereavement and others — remain as they are in the contract for 2017-19 for the next contract.

A final version of the collective bargaining agreement will be posted on the human resources websitein the near future.  Once posted, managers and supervisors should review the contract to fully understand the changes. 

In the coming weeks, the Office of Human Resources will offer open sessions for managers and supervisors to discuss changes to the new agreement and ask questions.  Human resources will also provide written guidance regarding changes to the contract and the implementation process. Dates and times for the open sessions will be published on the HR website when they become available. 

Contact employee and labor relations in human resources with questions about the new agreement by email at uoelr@uoregon.edu.