The University of Oregon’s student workers union has announced it could strike as early as next week.
UO Student Workers represents around 4,000 employees, including dining hall staff and resident hall assistants. They’re seeking a contract with higher pay, shorter pay periods, shift meals, and more protections against harassment.
The union has now said it intends to strike as early as Monday, April 28, unless an agreement is reached. This follows last month, when the union announced that 94% of participating members had voted to authorize a strike.
Izzie Marshall, a member of the union's bargaining team, said they hope the pressure of an impending action will push the university to compromise.
“We know how essential student workers are to running this campus," said Marshall. "The university works because we work."
The strike could directly affect first-year students living in the dorms. Most freshmen are required to pay for a meal plan, which can only be used at the dining halls partially staffed by the union's workers.
Meanwhile, Marshall said the strike would affect Student Sustainability Center, which provides free food through weekly Produce Drops. And they said students who lock themselves out of residence halls wouldn't be able to call an RA to let them back in.
"You're likely going to have a lot of administrative staff members who are trying to pick up the slack for thousands of student workers all at once,” said Marshall. “I think it will be very stressful."
On April 10, the university posted a new job listing online for "UO Temp Dining Pool" employees. In an email to KLCC, UO spokesperson Eric Howald said the school hasn't finalized its contingency plan in the case of a strike.
"Because we do not know exactly who will participate in the strike, it is difficult to chart how the university will adapt," wrote Howald. "However, we understand that the university experience encompasses more than just attending classes and will do our best to minimize disruption."
Howald said the university is still committed to reaching an agreement that's fair and fiscally responsible. Before the potential strike date, the university and the union have three more bargaining sessions scheduled, with the first planned for this Thursday.
This is the second time this year that union workers at UO have gotten this close to a strike. Last month, the university's faculty union reached a deal just hours before they could have hit the picket lines.
