On April 7, the University of Oregon Student Worker Union filed its petition for certification. If the process is successful, the group expects to be the largest undergraduate union in the United States, according to UOSW. 

After a campus union rally on April 6, the last day for student workers to sign union cards, the group went to Salem to deliver the signed cards to the Oregon Employment Relations Board, marking the beginning of the certification process.

“We had about 25 members of our organizing committee come up to Salem with us. It was a really special moment to be there,” UOSW organizer and social media coordinator Elizabeth White said.

An organizer from the union, Ella Meloy, said the group will now focus on deepening its understanding of issues facing workplaces on campus.

“We need to prepare to bargain for a contract that benefits all workers on campus, especially the workers that are being the most exploited by the university,” Meloy said.

Despite not being certified yet, a UOSW post on social media said it has been making strides toward policy changes in the workplace. 

According to a social media post made by UOSW, the group sent a letter to Tom Driscoll, the director of dining services, addressing a $200 retention bonus that is available to student dining workers during finals week if they work an average of 10 hours per week over the term and a minimum of 10 hours during finals week. 

One student in UOSW had a gender-affirming surgery scheduled during finals week, because the surgery prevented the student from working the required hours for the bonus, members of UOSW believed that the student’s non-eligibility for the bonus constituted disparate impact under Title IX’s disparate impact clause. 

UOSW requested students be able to provide documentation of a medical concern that would prevent them from working the required number of hours during finals week. 

White said UOSW reached out to Driscoll in the letter requesting the policy be adjusted, and that the group plans to continue pursuing policy change in the future. 

Student employees gain sick time with the hours they work, and in response to the letter, UO now allows student employees in dining halls to apply sick leave toward their required hours to get the bonus, according to UOSW. 

For Roderique, as a resident assistant in the dorms, certification of the union would mean “that all RAs have access to more mental health services” and all student workers receive higher pay. 

UOSW organizer Carolyn Roderique said the certification process should take a few weeks. Until then, UOSW plans to raise money and prepare for its bargaining sessions. 

From the beginning to now, organizers said they feel proud of the work they have done this year. 

“I’m leaving my time at UO incredibly honored to have been able to organize with a group of students who have inspired me to continue to organize every day,” Meloy said. “I’ve never seen such an impressive, hardworking and dedicated group of students while here at UO.”