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Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

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Oregon Universities, Workers Reach Tentative Settlement

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Friday, September 11, 2015   

PORTLAND, Ore. - Long hours and solidarity paid off for classified workers at Oregon's seven state universities. Early Thursday, they reached a tentative agreement on new contract terms with the schools.

The contract covers a variety of support positions, including early-childhood workers, paralegals and elevator mechanics. Chairing the bargaining team and negotiating for the better part of a year, Marc Nisenfeld with SEIU Local 503 said the university representatives asked to meet in separate rooms rather than face-to-face with his union team, so a mediator shuttled proposals between them. Nisenfeld said he thinks that slowed things down.

"You can get a lot more done if you can talk to someone and reason with someone, you know," he said. "When you're sending something over third party, as good as our mediator is, and she is very good, she can't express the feelings that our members are feeling, that our bargaining team is having."

Among the issues were cost-of-living adjustments, health-insurance expenses and some contract language about overtime and layoffs. Nisenfeld said the universities started by offering a one-half percent cost-of-living increase every six months, but have agreed to 2.25 percent per year for the next two years. Now, SEIU members will vote by mid-October on whether to ratify the contract.

It had looked as if they'd be taking a strike vote by next week. The union held firm on a single contract to cover workers on all campuses, while the schools would have preferred separate agreements. Information technology specialist Rob Fullmer, a union member at Portland State who worked on past contracts, said the state's move to dissolve the Chancellor's office and university system has made bargaining a bit more complicated.

"Every one of the seven universities has veto power, and they have different ways of thinking about the contract and what they think is a fair settlement," he said, "and there's no sort of arbitrator there for those seven different entities, saying, 'You need to line up and get this done.' "

He said pressure on school administrators and state lawmakers from union members and faculty, students and parents ended up helping the agreement move forward.


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