A potential strike by graduate employees at the University of Oregon has been averted for now.
The university reached a tentative deal with the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation on a new contract during a mediation session on Monday. The agreement was first reported by the Daily Emerald.
The union represents around 1,200 workers, including researchers, graders, and instructors teaching some classes, labs and discussion sections.
After months of unsuccessful negotiations, it had declared its intent to strike if it didn’t get a fair deal by Nov. 16. Union members warned that could lead to grading delays and cancelled classes.
The parties met for around 10 hours Monday. According to the union, the university upped its salary offerings, agreeing to a half-a-percent raise this year, as well as 3% raises for the next two years.
That’s less than the union had asked for previously. Amelia Cuomo, a co-chair for GTFF’s bargaining team, said the deal will still leave some workers in poor financial positions.
“But every dollar helps when you're somebody who's struggling to make ends meet and struggling to not go into the red every month,” Cuomo said.
The university has also agreed to a one-time reset of how it divides up healthcare costs, returning to a split of 95% paid by the university and 5% paid by workers.
Cuomo said the parties have agreed to work together to lower healthcare costs in the future. The university previously said the union’s latest insurance plan had increased the school’s annual costs by $1.6 million.
Meanwhile, UO has agreed to keep one position that’s designed to support other graduate educators. The university had previously proposed to cut all four of those jobs.
Cuomo said she believes declaring the intent to strike helped push this agreement across the finish line.
“The mounting frustration of the GEs over both cuts that are going to happen soon on campus and the university's unwillingness to participate at the table resulted in these actions and demonstrations on campus that were a show of power,” Cuomo said. “And ultimately, they got the university to come and cooperate.”
In an emailed statement Tuesday, university spokesperson Angela Seydel said they were grateful to both bargaining teams for their time and work.
“The University of Oregon is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the GTFF that makes meaningful investments in our graduate employees and supports the university’s long-term financial well-being,” Seydel wrote.
Union members still need to vote to ratify the deal. According to the union’s Instagram, that vote will begin Friday.
