Food services. Maintenance. A clean learning environment. They are just a few of the campus amenities we usually don’t think much about. However, members of the Oregon Public Employees Union work behind the scenes every day to keep this and other Oregon universities functioning. Without these workers, campus life would not run as smoothly.
In return for their services, union members requested reasonable wages and benefits when they initiated a “reopener” clause in their contract in April to discuss issues such as health insurance and salary.
After a long and frustrating negotiation process, fed-up OPEU members declared a bargaining impasse. On Sept. 6, union members voted to go on strike if these requests were not met. Even after this, there were more negotiations with little progress. OPEU and the Oregon University System finally reached a tentative agreement Friday.
We are glad OPEU workers didn’t strike. However, we also feel the classified workers deserve more than they received. Whether we realize it or not, OPEU members are integral parts of this campus. They perform job functions essential to University life. If these classified workers would have gone on strike, the effects would have been felt by everyone at the University — from students moving into dorms to faculty members needing clerical support.
While the settlement between OUS and OPEU includes small cost-of-living salary increases — 2 percent starting Jan. 1, 2002 and 3 percent Feb. 1, 2003 — along with full health coverage for full-time employees, it is still not enough for employees trying to make a living and take care of families. Jacobson said OPEU has been behind for at least 10 years in terms of what classified workers make elsewhere in most comparable job categories. Even if it is comparable to other workers, the increase barely covers inflation and isn’t enough for workers being paid so little.
The increases requested by OPEU were not extreme but could have made a big difference to these workers. A minimum wage of $9.95 per hour along with modest salary and health benefit increases are not outrageous requests from employees that are the lifeblood of the University. OUS should have met their requests and given these underappreciated workers the contract they deserve.
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