Students and community members came out to the University of Oregon campus late Sunday afternoon to march against sexual assault. The protest came on the heels of the University of Oregon announcing on Wednesday that five sexual assaults have been reported around campus in the last week. The event also took place as people across the country stand in solidarity with a Jane Doe who recently filed a lawsuit against Cornell University, accusing seven fraternity members of raping her. The protest was announced by an individual who lives out of state last Friday on their TikTok account.

Eugene-based Double Sided Media requested police officer Justin Peckels’s records. The city slapped the publication with an exorbitant fee.

Yes. You, dear reader, read the headline correctly. The Eugene Police Department has invoiced Double Sided Media for more than $2.6 million to fulfill two public records requests.  The grand t…

SEIU 503 announced shortly after midnight Monday morning that Higher Ed workers had reached a tentative agreement. Classified workers at all seven public universities in Oregon were set to go on strike at 6 AM Monday. The union held a strike vote just earlier this month in which 97% of workers that participated said yes. The tentative agreement gives classified workers a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in year one, and a 3% COLA in year two. After which, there will be an economic reopener for the third and fourth years. The union also says that there is no takeaways to workers’ rights.

SEIU 503 announced Thursday, that Classified workers at all seven public universities voted to authorize a strike. With thousands of people participating in the vote, 97% said yes. The union will send a 10-day notice to management tomorrow, with the intent to strike on Sep. 28 if they don't receive a fair offer before then. Monday, Sep 28, marks the first day of classes locally at the University of Oregon, as well up north at Portland State University. This strike notice comes at the same time as GTFF is in…

Nearly six years later, the civil rights lawsuit that followed the Springfield Police Department’s violent assault on Black Unity protesters during their “Noose is a Nuisance” protest in the Thurst…

Dozens of graduate employees and allies turned out on a summer Wednesday morning in front of Johnson Hall to call on the University of Oregon to give a fair contract to the Graduate Teaching Fellow Federation (GTFF). GTFF started bargaining with UO on March 9, and in late August the university called for mediation. Wednesday morning they held their first mediation session. The union says that the university has consistently dragged their feet in bargaining and won't even fix typos. GTFF believes that the university has not been bargaining in good faith, which is why they have recently filled out a Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) against UO.

Around 250 people showed up to Monday's Eugene City Council meeting, the first regular meeting since the body went on break in mid-July. The message running through most of public comments: data center moratorium now. Recently city officials declared an anonymous request to put a data center out in West Eugene at the former Hynix plant did not meet the zone requirements. Attendees last night applauded the decision, but also called for further action from the city on this issue. Enough people showed up to the meeting that even the overflow room hit capacity.

Classified workers, represented by SEIU 503, at the University of Oregon held a rally Thursday afternoon with graduate employees, represented by GTFF. Both unions described the university making minimal progress at the bargaining table. After mediation early last month, SEIU declared impasse on August 7. At the rally Thursday, SEIU further said that the administration is not bargaining in good faith and said that they would begin holding a strike authorization vote Monday. Dozens of union members, including allies from Teamsters and United Academics, rallied briefly at the EMU Amphitheater, before marching down and picketing at all four corners of Agate St & Franklin Blvd.

Solidarity News has moved its domain to the shortened and more unique solidarity.news. All previous URLs will still redirect, but now the website will reside at this domain name. Additionally you can email the author at first name new domain name. The domain change has also come with a fresh new logo that you will see across all platforms In order to keep the publication going strong, we have also brought back a way to become a paid subscriber. There will be a subscribe button on this post as well as on the bottom right of the website (if you are already a free subscriber, you can input the email you used to sign up).

Around a few dozen people showed up in front of Eugene City Council Saturday afternoon to protest the funding of the US wars at the Money for Workers Not War rally. The event was organized by the Eugene-Springfield Solidarity Network (ESSN) and the Lane County Labor Chapter (LCLC) and is the first in 3-part series of worker led demonstrations calling out how America is underfunding its people and infrastructure at home while spending billions on wars abroad. "The idea behind it is pretty basic right? We need to quit spending so much money on foreign wars and giving it to military contractors, our hard tax dollars, and such to go over and murder people for corporations, and start spending that money here in our own country," ESSN board member Lonnie Douglas said to introduce the series at the rally.

Around 100 people gathered at the Eugene Federal Building Wednesday night to mourn the lives of those recently killed by ICE. This is the fourth vigil held in Eugene in last couple weeks. Immigrant advocates noted that there have been four deaths at the hands of ICE in just the last eight days, pointing to those killed during traffic stops and dying while in custody. Attendees eulogized those that passed through songs, speeches, and physical vigils. "ICE is using our tax dollars to abduct and kill our neighbors. It's being done in our name with our funds.

The charge of second-degree theft has been dropped in an unexpected twist to the saga following journalist and documentary filmmaker Tim Lewis’ arrest on Jan. 30. Notably, the copious amount …

After being closed for six months, the Springfield History Museum reopened with a new exhibit entitled "Farm Labor in the Valley" last Friday. The museum worked with Nancy Bray and Herb Everett, of the Eugene Friends of Farm Workers (EFFW), who have been advocates for 50 years. The opening featured live music by the band Justice 3. The exhibit will be on display at the Springfield History Museum until December 26. Lane County History Museum featured a small exhibit on the farmworkers' rights movement featuring the work of EFFW in 2023-24, since then the exhibit has more than doubled in size.

Around 50 people gathered at the Eugene Federal Building this 4th of July in the first major protest at the Eugene Federal Building since the fence was taken down. Individuals lined up against the street holding pro-democracy, anti-ICE, and more signs. Further up the plaza, Eugene Friends, a Quaker community, held a silent meeting. The circle featured people sitting on the steps where the gate once was. "I was standing here, it made me realize how we literally were fenced out from our own federal building and that been imposed upon us is the idea that our country, the federal administration, does not belong to us.

Government contractors began taking down the fence at the Eugene Federal Building Wednesday night to comply with a district judge’s order. US District Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai ruled that the plaza at the federal building constitutes a traditional public forum and the perimeter fence restricted the free speech of the residents in the area. The court set a deadline of 7:00 AM Thursday to remove the entire fence.

Late Tuesday night, District Judge Kasubhai released his order considering and clarifying alternative, while upholding his order that perimeter fence must start coming down July 1 and be fully removed by July 2 at 7:00 AM. This order fulfilled the requirements put forth by the superior appeals court, therefore terminating the administrative stay. Further the appeals court ruled against the government's request for another administrative stay without prejudice at 2:05 PM Wednesday. Kasubhai heard from building manager Ryan Anderson that the contractor and crew are believed to be in Eugene and plan to store the fence in the secure parking well.

On Tuesday morning, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an order that returns the decision of the removal of the fence at the Eugene back to District Judge Kasubhai. Circuit Court Judges Sidney R. Thomas, Carlos T. Bea, and Holly A. Thomas, state that the ruling is for administrative purposes only and they do not take a view on the merits of the case. "This appeal is remanded for the district court to consider and clarify what alternative measures the Appellant is authorized to employ, the time line for such measures, and whether such alternative fencing can be constructed and accomplished without maintaining the perimeter fence," state the judges in the order.

In a decision made Wednesday morning over videoconference, first reported by the Register Guard , Judge Kasubhai extended the deadline for GSA to remove the fence at the Eugene Federal building until July 2. Kasubhai originally ordered a preliminary injunction on First Amendment grounds to remove the fence within 48 hours on Monday. This would have made this afternoon as the deadline to take out the fence. Tuesday evening the GSA applied for an extension, requesting the deadline be moved eleven days from its original deadline to July 5. Attorney’s representing GSA said it needed more time to obtain a permit for blocking the roadway and to schedule contractors to remove the fence.

US District Court Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai granted preliminary injunction in CLDC’s case and ordered the federal government to remove the fence at the Eugene Federal Building. Kasubhai says he acknow...

US District Court Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai stated earlier today that he intends to grant preliminary injunction in CLDC’s case and open up the plaza at the Eugene Federal Building in a written order to come. Kasubhai says he acknowledges a need to protect the safety of the building, but that the First Amendment must be balanced. Remediation will be addressed later today, where the judge signaled an interest in moving the fence back in instead of removing it entirely. Restrictions on time, place, and manner of free speech must be as minimal as possible, Kasubhai thinks that this fence was not narrowly tailored.

Eugene community members represented by Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) testified to a packed courtroom that the federal government is impeding upon their right to free speech with the recently installed the fence surrounding the plaza at the Eugene Federal Building. CLDC presented to Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai a motion for a temporary restraining order against the closure and a full reopening of the plaza to the public. Witnesses along with CLDC spoke to the historical use of the plaza as a protest site, how the fence has created limits on their first amendment, especially to those with limited mobility.

After Tim Lewis and Jetty Etty released body cam footage of EPD officer Martin Siller making racist remarks, and him summarily resigning, they held a community press conference along with others. Among their demands is for Police Chief Skinner to resign, reasoning that he created a culture that allowed people like Siller to thrive. Others put forward demands of reforms to the police auditor, commission, and civilian review board. Lewis, a longtime local documentarian, was arrested on Jan. 30 for his involvement in using traffic cones from the Whiteaker to protect protesters thrown onto the street at the Federal building as the feds were deploying tear gas.

Contractors began putting up a fence around the Federal Building Wednesday night after receiving a right-of-way permit from the City of Eugene to close off lanes necessary for construction just two days earlier. The Federal building has been a site of protests over the last year as it has been a place where ICE agents work, among other federal workers, and have held many immigrants before moving them up to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. Federal authorities claim the barricade is necessary for the security and safety of the building.

On Friday, the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation (GTFF) rallied in front of Johnson Hall before their second bargaining session. The union brought forward multiple articles ranging from health insurance to support for non-citizen GEs. This weekend the union is also holding their 50th anniversary celebration, with that alumni were in attendance at the rally and for the bargaining session. Allison LaSalvia, co-lead negotiator for the GTFF bargaining team, says the union polled its members before bargaining on what they wanted to see out of a new contract. A lot of the responses were for standard issues such as a livable wage and keeping good healthcare.

On Saturday night, a little over a couple dozen community members protested outside the Democratic Party of Lane County's Defazio Dinner. The local Democratic Party came under fire from concerned citizens in the week leading up to the fundraiser for choosing to host it at the Graduate by Hilton Eugene, as the Hilton has links to ICE. While this specific venue has not been known to host ICE officials, immigrant rights supporters say it is still supporting a national company that has been known to house agents. Protesters, waved signs and shouted chants such as "DPLC, practice what you preach" and "Have a spine".

More than 3,000 showed up to the third No Kings rally last Saturday, this time in Springfield. No Kings is a national call to action to protest broadly against the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. Organizers say nationally more than 3,300 rallies were organized with 8M+ participating. Locally protesters spoke to issues from attacks on immigrants to the illegal war on Iran. The No Kings Rally in Springfield was spearheaded by the Activist Coalition of Eugene Springfield (ACES), a group of over a dozen progressive Eugene and Springfield Groups.

At 8:31 PM Wednesday night, the LCC faculty union bargaining team signed a tentative agreement for a new four-year contract with the college. This comes after 15 bargaining sessions and three mediation sessions between LCCEA and the administration. The union was able to up the pressure on the administration in the last week when over 96% of members signed strike pledges. Included in the contract is a 3% cost of living pay increase in the first year, with retro pay back to last July. Along with 3% COLA in the following year, and 3.1% in each of the last two years of the contract.

On Sunday Eugene-Springfield DSA (ESDSA) invited community members to be their "rally valentine" and stand with workers on the picket line at the 29th & Willamette Starbucks. Workers at that store went on strike over three months ago as part of the Red Cup Rebellion, and were the first store to organize in the state four years ago. Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) has been fighting for a contract nationally for over 18 months, while also bringing attention to the more than 100 Unfair Labor Practice charges filed by the union against the company.

SEIU 503 held a rally Thursday at the University of Oregon ahead of their first statewide Higher Ed bargaining session that was set for later that afternoon. In addition to classified workers, members of the UA, GTFF, and UOSW participated in the rally. SEIU 503 Higher Ed represents classified workers at all seven public universities in Oregon: Oregon Institute of Technology, Southern Oregon University, Western Oregon University, Oregon State University, Portland State University, Eastern Oregon University, and University of Oregon. Contracts are bargained between workers and management of each of those universities, separating it from other unions that have a contract solely with their university.

Around 100 teachers, students, and others in solidarity showed up in from the Springfield Public Schools district office to stand against the mid-year teacher cuts passed by the board last week. In a 3-2 vote, the SPS board decided to make $2.34M in staff reductions equal to 36 FTE, with 27 people set to be laid off in by the end of the month. This decision has led to disappointment and anger from people across the school district's community. SPS outlines the mid-year layoffs as follows: District level: 2 FTE…

Last Wednesday, dozens of LCC faculty members showed up before the college's board meeting to hold an informational picket. After over seven months of bargaining, and not seeing progress from the administration, the union called for mediation last month. The college is proposing a more than $1M disinvestment from faculty, while getting rid of class size limits. The union has been fighting for respectable living, which includes achieving pay parity for part time faculty. On Wednesday the union showed off a new report by researcher Daniel Morris that speaks the financials of the college.

Late Thursday, just before midnight, OSEA Eugene reached a tentative agreement (TA) on a three-year contract with 4J school district. The union which represents classified workers, including classroom aides, bus drivers, food service workers, and more, has been negotiating for a new contract for the last eight months. The district would provide a 5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025-26, 2026-27, and 2027-28 with this contract. 4J had previously stood against retroactive increases, but within this new agreement they will provide a retroactive COLA to July 1. Additionally administrators would increase their health insurance contribution to workers by $60 in the second and third year, with no increase in the first year.

On Tuesday night, as Starbucks workers approach a month on strike, Eugene-Springfield DSA hosted a showing of the movie Partners: How Starbucks Baristas Started a Revolution at the Art House. The movie tells the inside story of how the workers in Buffalo, NY formed the first union with Starbucks Workers United, exactly four years before showing. Following the movie was a panel with local Starbucks workers. Featured in the movie were workers like Michelle Eisen, who had been with the Elwood Avenue shop in Buffalo for 11 years before the store unionized.

Farm workers history and present struggles This Monday, 7 PM, Nancy Bray of Eugene Friends of Farm Workers is set to give a talk for Eugene History Pub entitled "From grapes to mushrooms: The farm workers' rights movement in Oregon, 1965-2025" at Whirled Pies. Bray will speak to history of the farm worker struggles in Oregon, and to the present day fight for union recognition by Windmill Farm workers. United Farm Workers called for a boycott of Windmill Farm mushrooms in Washington December of last year, and in September, unions across Oregon…

Last Wednesday classified workers of the 4J School District, represented by OSEA, held a rally to call for a fair contract. Classified workers include educational assistants, custodians, bus drivers, and more. The union has been in bargaining with the school district for eight months and have been working without a contract since July 1. "The district is claiming budget cuts, budget woes like crazy. But all of the MAPS leaders, the higher ups, the management, all got their raises. No problem. No one questioned that. No one had a problem with that.

Starbucks workers went on strike Thursday at 65 stores, across the nation as contract bargaining stalls. The strike takes place on Red Cup day, one of the biggest days of the year for the company where they hand out a free cup and kick-off holiday season. This is the third Red Cup Rebellion for Starbucks Workers United. Workers first won a union with SBWU around four years ago and were able to get management to the bargaining table last year. "We're 90% done with our contract. But around the economics and like wages part of our contract, they kind of stopped bargaining with us and like actively not negotiating in like good faith," says Lisette Harris, a worker…

Members of UA, GTFF, UOSW, SEIU, ASUO, and more led a teach-in and rally on what they are Oregon Compact on Higher Education. This comes amid the Trump administration putting forward its own compact for universities, that if administrators agree to shape their curriculum to fit the White House's conservative ideology they would be able to lock in federal funding. However organizers of the Oregon Compact view their project to go beyond being reactive, and instead create a true pro-worker and pro-student university. "With this compact, we unite for the common good, which means we want anyone who desires higher education of any kind, whether technical, vocational, professional, a robust liberal arts or science training, or a PhD in philosophy or physics, to be able to pursue that goal, free of debt, and with the full force and support of the richest damn country on the planet behind them," pronounced UO Philosophy Professor Bonnie Mann to the crowd.

Hundreds of Springfield teachers rallied Downtown on a wet and dark Wednesday evening. The educators, apart of the Springfield Education Association, held the rally after eight months of bargaining and the day before the union is set to go into mediation with the school district. While 12 articles have been tentatively agreed to, 13 articles remain on the the table. One of the more egregious proposals by the Springfield Public Schools, according to teachers, is increasing their workday to 8.5 hours from 8. Brandon Ferguson, a Springfield High School teacher and member of the union's bargaining team, says that they have been creative with their bargaining solutions and are willing to go late night in their sessions.

On Saturday evening, hundreds of educators showed their support for Lane Community College Education Association (LCCEA). Members of the Oregon Education Association (OEA), a statewide union which represents 42K teachers, community college faculty, and education support specialists, filed out of the Graduate Hotel after a full day of training to stand in solidarity with the local community college faculty who have been bargaining since May. The action started out with a rally in front of the Graduate Hotel at 5 PM when supporters outside were met with a large wave of educators leaving the conference.

On Thursday, May 29, the GTFF hosted garment workers from Indonesia. This was one stop of in the Fight the Heist Worker Action Tour, put on by Global Labor Justice and Asia Floor Wage Alliance. Worker...

After 10 days on strike and over 11 monts of bargaining UO Student Workers (UOSW) reached a tentative agreement on their first contract late night Wednesday. While not achieving all their demands they made some wins on their core demands and gains on others. They become the first campus-wide undergaduate worker union to get a TA. The agreement will now go to the union's 4,000 members for a ratification vote starting this Friday at 10 AM, voting will end Wednesday at 5 PM. UOSW says that with getting the TA, all voters should return to work tomorrow.

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.

Residence hall workers in exchange for their work for the University of Oregon receive free room and board and a minimal stipend. Now on strike since Monday, in part to keep that agreement in place, a...

At 5 AM on Monday, April 28, student workers at the University of Oregon went on strike. This was after 11 months of bargaining with the university. While the union has made some wins through tentativ...

If UO Student Workers don’t reach an agreement with the university this week they will go on strike Monday, April 28. The union delivered a letter to the administration stating that last Wednesday aft...

On Monday, one week after CAHOOTS services closed down in Eugene, the community showed up in support, asking City Council to return funding. The CAHOOTS workers' union had made a call to attend on Instagram and members announced it at the town hall last week. Attendants filled up the 95 seats in the Council Chambers, while around 70 people sat in the overflow section, including many people having to sit on the ground. While some testified on other issues, such as electrifying Eugene and the fire fee, the dozens of people that testified in supporting CAHOOTS constituted the majority of public commenters.