SOU staff participate in statewide "Practice Picket"

ASHLAND, Ore. – Staff at Southern Oregon University participated in a statewide practice picket Thursday afternoon.

The picket was part of a statewide movement for employees to show university staff how serious they are about getting fair wages and working conditions for the staff.

According to SEIU, union representatives and university administration have been in contract negotiations since October. Those negotiations recently stopped when university administration decided to walk away from the table.

Local SEIU president Sage TeBeest says while the staff don’t want to strike, they will if they have to.

“We want to do everything we can to prevent that from happening but should it happen and we have a strike vote then we will vote across all seven campuses of whether or not to go on strike,” she said. “As of right now, there is an overwhelming support that if it’s necessary then we will strike.”

TeBeest says while the union’s relationship with SOU is on good terms, if a strike is approved by members, it would happen at every public university in the state.