UO Student Protest Elicits Police Response; No Arrests Made in Johnson Hall Incident

On Tuesday (May 6), student employees at the University of Oregon continued their strike, demanding improved salaries along with an independent investigation into harassment allegations raised by the workforce.

On Monday evening, both UO and the Eugene Police Department reacted to an incident at the university's Johnson Hall, where students were conducting a sit-in protest.

The students had hoped to force the university's hand in making a decision regarding their ongoing contract negotiations.

"Between 50 to 55 employees chose independently to remain at Johnson Hall past working hours, accepting potential arrest, as UO, particularly, has declined to address our arbitration clause concerning workplace harassment. This directly impacts our capacity to uphold our agreement," stated Robin Bailey, an organizer for UOSW.

In addition to compensation, the dispute resolution mechanism, including both grievances and arbitration processes, has been a key issue for the protesting students.

Following about nine hours of occupation, UOPD warned that students would be arrested if they did not vacate Johnson Hall.

It was approximately 10:30 PM on Monday night.

“We mentioned, ‘Look, the building is off-limits; you shouldn’t be here. This constitutes trespassing. It’s illegal; you might face consequences from student conduct and even end up in jail,’" said UO Police Chief Jason Wade. "Despite our warnings, they insisted they wouldn’t budge. Consequently, we decided to seek assistance from the Eugene Police.”

No charges were filed and no arrests were made as a result of the incident.

The UOPD reports that three tires were cut on the police vehicles; however, no interior damages were observed within the facility.

The university disclosed on Tuesday that the yearly Street Faire has been called off for this year because of the disturbances arising from the continuing strike.

It also mentioned safety issues along with the alleged acts of vandalism.