Student workers hold sit-in at Johnson Hall for fair contract, UO invites EPD to disperse them

UO Student Workers reached one week of striking as of Monday, and they are still fighting for fair pay, and independent arbitration, among other issues. To increase the pressure on the administration the union held several actions including a sit in at Johnson Hall in the afternoon. Around 50 student workers independently decided to stay in the administration building after it closed to gurantee a fair contract while mediation was still ongoing. Ultimately the university invited the Eugene Police to clear them out.

At 1 PM today student workers started their study-in at Johnson Hall to demand what they call enforceable anti-harrasment protections, through access to a third party arbitrator. The union notes that arbitration is afforded to faculty at UO and student workers at UW, Western Washington University, and in the UC system.

“If a faculty member experiences harassment, they can take their case to an impartial arbitrator. But if a student worker does, they’re told to trust the same internal system that’s already failed their peers,” said Izzie Marshall, a student worker on the Wellbeing Team. “That’s not equity — that’s exclusion.”

UOSW continued to bargain into the night. The admin budged on pay by just $0.25 earlier Monday, which August Hilkey, a student worker at the Yamada Language Center, says is the biggest movement they’ve seen in a single day. The union additionally continues to fight for RAs, and while they say through discussions with the adminstration they found out they won’t be able to change the split roles dynamic they are still fighting against the university charging workers for rent.

Last week the university handed RAs a bill for room and meal plans for first day of the strike until the end of the term and if they didn’t pay there would be a hold on academic registration. Through organizing they were able to get these actions reversed in part. UO will no longer put an academic hold on striking RAs, but say that they will still charge them standard housing and meal rates for the days they went on strike. The union says they are demanding UO:

• Fully rescind the retaliatory housing and meal charges
• Restore RA benefits and academic access
• Bargain in good faith

At 5:30 PM as the building closed, over 60 student workers decided to stay in to keep the pressure on the adminstration. While the students were in there, the university kept the building locked up, and people on the outside were not allowed to transfer food to the workers. However two UO Police officers were allowed in, another cop circled the building in a police car. On the outside, dozens chanted and marched in solidarity.

Around 10:30 PM Eugene Police showed up to clear out the student workers. The university invited members of the SWAT team into Johnson Hall and forced out the student workers calling for a fair contract. Two dozen cops in total were at Johnson Hall. Around ten police armed with batons and pellet guns surrounded the back entrance, while several others were inside to push out the student workers, and more were lining the sidewalk.

Students who were in front of Johnson Hall, swiftly moved to the back upon hearing the presence of EPD. In solidarity with the workers and against the police, they sang “Which Side are You On?” and chanted “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?”. Shortly after, the police opened up the doors, ushering out the student workers that were inside. Students kept up their chants and the cops tightened up their formation and left from Johnson Hall.