Workers at Western Oregon University and six other Oregon public universities averted a strike Sunday, Sept. 27, with a tentative contract deal reached just hours before a planned walkout.

The agreement covers more than 4,500 custodians, dining hall workers, office staff and other classified employees across the state, including several hundred at WOU in Monmouth. Service Employees International Union Local 503 (SEIU 503) announced early Monday, Sept. 28, that the walkout was off.

The four-year contract, running through June 30, 2030, includes 3% base wage increases in November 2026 and November 2027, full step increases through 2030 and continued university contributions of 95% or 97% toward healthcare premiums, according to KVAL. For an eligible employee, those terms add up to a 15.24% wage increase over two years, the universities said in a statement.

The final terms moved well past the universities' earlier offer. Before the deal, the universities had proposed a 1.5% raise in year one and 1% in year two. SEIU had pushed for two 3% base salary increases, OPB reported.

On Sept. 17, 97% of participating SEIU members voted to authorize a strike. The walkout had been scheduled for 6 a.m. Sept. 28, the first day of fall term at WOU, the University of Oregon, Portland State University and Eastern Oregon University.

"None of us want to go on strike, but a lot of us cannot afford not to go out on strike," SEIU 503 President Johnny Earl said Sept. 17, when the union announced the authorization vote.

Bargaining teams reached the deal during mediation on the night of Sept. 27, after nine months of negotiations that began in February, the Register-Guard reported. SEIU attributed the progress to pressure from the looming strike.

The agreement also preserves the universities' 6% contribution toward employees' Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) payments and includes what SEIU described as "no takeaways to workers' rights."

More than 100,000 students were returning for fall term across the seven universities the week the deal was reached. The universities covered are the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Portland State University, Western Oregon University, Eastern Oregon University, Southern Oregon University and the Oregon Institute of Technology.

SEIU 503 members will hold a ratification vote in the coming weeks.

No date has been announced.