The University of Oregon has a long and storied history of student workers. They are vital to the institution’s running; in the words of Robin Bailey, communications committee chair of the UOSW-UAW, “UO works because we do.” UO student workers perform an enormous number of roles, including administration, research, services and residence life. They’ve been doing this for roughly 50 years, but that time hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing.
A number of disagreements and disputes have arisen between student employees and UO administration, and for a long time, the administration had the upper hand; student employees were unable to unionize, with one of the strongest attempts during the Lettuce Boycotts of the late 1960s failing because the university would only accept a “wall-to-wall” union, which encompasses all student employees. With thousands of students to unite, all attempts had failed until recently.
In October 2023, with the help of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, student workers finally succeeded in creating the University of Oregon Student Workers Union, making it the largest undergraduate student worker union at a public university in the United States. And they had their work cut out for them. According to the union, wages were low, benefits were few, pay cycles were inconsistent and workplace harassment protections were inadequate.
Negotiations for the first-ever contract began almost immediately, but they weren’t meeting expectations, leading the organization to make an immensely significant decision. On April 28, 2025, UOSW-UAW launched a general strike, the largest ever seen at a public university. Almost all student workers participated, shutting down key university services for over a week. Around 50 students even staged a sit-in in Johnson Hall, UO’s administration building, leading to a tense police standoff.
Ultimately, however, UO caved, and a historic agreement was signed. It promised better pay ($16 an hour), paid sick leave and arbitration for grievances. It was a massive win, among the first of its kind in the country, and one that has improved the lives of all student workers at the university.
While UO may have agreed to a contract with UOSW-UAW, the fight is far from over.
According to Bailey, UO has taken many adverse actions against student employees as of late. For one, since the summer, 1,000 jobs have been cut in a manner that allegedly circumvents union protections.
Having heard of the numerous problems outlined to me by UOSW, I contacted the UO administration for a response. Angela Seydel, director of issues management, said, “Our employee and labor relations team meets regularly with each of our campus unions and frequently addresses questions and concerns when they arise, including those not addressed in a collective bargaining agreement. The university values and respects our relationship with our unions and appreciates the collaboration and dialogue that exists between the university and campus unions.” It was also noted to me that UO has been facing budget cuts, and consequently has to curtail the number of jobs it offers.
It seems that, at a fundamental level, the union feels like it is not respected by UO for its valuable contributions to campus and for all the work student labor does. UO does talk frequently with UOSW, but the union still lacks a crucial voice in the organization. UOSW is preparing for another round of efforts to get that voice, a change that, in my opinion, would change the lives of students for the better.
Clarification: A prior version of this article referred to the resident assistant role being split as an “adverse action” implemented by UO. This change was negotiated and included as a specific section in the UOSW contract, not implemented as an “adverse action” outside of the contract.
