In a joint statement, WOUFT President Melanie Landon-Hays and WOU President Jesse Peters announced today that the union and administration agreed to extend the current CBA for one year, which means collective bargaining will not resume until the 2023-2024 academic year.

You can read the complete statement on the Collective Bargaining Page.

WOUFT and WOU Administration agree to extend the current CBA for one year for reasons outlined in a joint statement from both Melanie Landon-Hays (WOUFT President) and Jesse Peters (WOU President):

WOU Community,

We are pleased to report that the administration and WOUFT have reached an agreement to extend the current CBA for one year. This means that we will not engage in a full bargaining session until the next academic year. During a year with numerous major activities taking place (Accreditation Visit, Legislative Session, Budget Cuts. Etc.), an extension provides the campus with some breathing room. Additionally, this is a year of transition with six new BOT members, a new President, a new VP for Advancement, and a new Director of Government Relations. Additionally, we are searching for a new Executive Director of HR and a new Provost. Next year, the campus will be in a much clearer position with regards to leadership and budget, so there are benefits in waiting to engage in a full bargaining session.

We would both like to thank all of the people engaged in this honest discussion about extending the CBA. Particularly, the WOUFT bargaining team and Carson Campbell provided ideas and suggestions in a spirit of collaboration and transparency. We hope this agreement signals a positive step for our WOU community.

Thanks again to all involved.
Jesse & Melanie
Jesse Peters, President of Western Oregon University
Melanie Landon-Hays, President WOUFT