After nearly a year of bargaining, University of Oregon (UO) Student Workers-United Auto Workers (UAW) Members went on Strike earlier this week after administrators failed to offer a fair contract during weekend negotiations. The Unit was formed in 2023 and represents 4,000 students who work as Resident Assistants, Dining Hall Staff, Memorial Union Employees and more. Core sticking points for Union Members include higher wages, a more accountable grievance process and a short pay cycle. When their Union was formed a couple of years ago, UO students believed it was the largest majority Undergraduate Student Worker Union in the country. Pay remains a key sticking point as the average student salary is $15.34 an hour. The lowest pay starts at $14.70 and the highest positions start at $18. “Student Workers are disproportionately first-generation college students and from lower-income families,” said Union Bargaining Co-Chair Victoria Piñeiro. “The reason taxpayers support public universities is so that Middle Class and Working Class students can get an education - not just those from rich families. But UO is making it impossible for us to work our way through college.”

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Photo Courtesy Of The National AFL-CIO.