Graduate employees at the University of Oregon are an essential part of the school community. Paid medical and parental leave is a basic right that all workers deserve, including graduate employees. I stand with the graduate employees and ask you to support their call for paid sick days and parental leave.

Graduate employees at the University of Oregon have been bargaining for a year. These graduate students, employed by the school as research assistants and teaching fellows, are asking for paid sick leave and parental leave.

At a time when Oregon is expanding access to basic workplace fairness like paid sick days, the University of Oregon should be a leader. Instead, it’s fighting to deny graduate employees these basic rights.

The graduate employees have been on strike since Tuesday, Dec. 2. Tell the university that you stand with these workers, and demand the university expand paid sick and parental leave to graduate employees.