Portland State University's campus

Students walk on campus at Portland State University in May, 2016.

(Andrew Theen/The Oregonian)

Oregon's Employment Relations Board certified Portland State University's PSU's Graduate Employees Union this week, granting 800 administrative, teaching and research assistants on the Park Blocks the right to join a labor union.

The new union joins graduate employees at Oregon State and the University of Oregon as the only state unions representing graduate student workers. The students filed a petition last month with state officials to form a union, and PSU administrators did not fight the proposal.

Jennifer Muthanna, a graduate research assistant at PSU's School of Social Work, called the achievement the culmination of years of work.

"We look forward to negotiating a fair contract that resolves serious issues with our jobs," she said in a statement. "These are barriers that prevent us from doing our best work for the university."

Graduate-student workers are increasingly relied on to teach courses and labs, particularly at the state's largest universities, allowing tenured faculty to focus on research.

PSU's union will be affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors.

According to the union's website, the bargaining body will survey all of its members and identify key issues. Following that process, the union will sit down with PSU leaders.



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen