The Oregon University System (OUS) and the UO have asked the Oregon Employment Relations Board to authorize a new Service Employees International Union (SEIU) bargaining unit for the UO’s commissioned police officers.

Police officers do not have the right to strike. Under Oregon law, if police officers are included in the same bargaining unit with other SEIU employees, all of the other SEIU employees in that union would lose the right to strike as well. At the UO, 1,660 employees would be affected by this limitation, along with thousands of other SEIU members at other OUS campuses.

The Employee Relations Board has stated that it is unfair for a small number of employees to deny a large number the right to strike and has previously authorized separate bargaining units in this kind of situation.  

The UO is following the process set forth in the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act for the establishment of a new bargaining unit and anticipates the SEIU will represent that new unit.