UW Bargaining Update: Agreement Reached

Agreement reached to protect university programs, improve quality care in hospitals and clinics and minimize impact of future economic downturns
Classified staff reach agreement in a tough economy and make plans for legislative solutions: current contracts/unfair labor practice charge (ULP) settled!

In the midst of the greatest economic downturn since the great depression, UW classified staff went back to the bargaining table with management in the interest of being partners in protecting the core programs for students, vital research, and quality health care that the university provides. After making our case via forums, petitions, rallies and an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge against the University, we have reached an agreement.

Our ULP charge was set to be heard this month, but in the final hours, we were able to negotiate a settlement with the University that would allow us to keep our current contracts safe and move forward. In general, all language agreements that were agreed to previously remain intact, some of the healthcare professional titles will receive some compensation, the UWMC dress code goes into effect in 30 days, and the UW agrees to work with the Union to modify the collective bargaining law and clarify bargaining units in ways that will help diminish the influence of the state budget on our contracts in the future.

Planning ahead for future economic downturns with legislative fix: changing the current collective bargaining law and “clarifying” our bargaining units to improve future negotiations.

As we know, while most of the funds to cover our contracts are UW funds, the contracts still go to the state for funding. When the state declared all state employee contracts to be financially unfeasible, the University decided they didn’t need to even bargain with us over economics. This limited our ability to work with the University to protect the core services we provide in this world renowned higher education institution. We provide support to students as they pursue their education, vital research that benefits people around the world, and health care services to our community. To protect these services, we need to make sure the law is clear and unambiguous, so that when we bargain over University funds, we know they will be forthcoming.

The current state collective bargaining law does not address the kind of unprecedented economic crisis that we found ourselves in this year with a national recession. As well, it does not address specifically how higher education institutions, like the UW, differ from other state employee institutions, particularly where access to non-state resources (money) is concerned.

We have already been working for several months with other state employee unions, the Governor, and other state leaders to set the legislative stage for changing the collective bargaining law, so that we are less likely to run into the problems we’ve faced this time around. We cannot let this happen twice!

What can we do now?

Join your co-workers and other SEIU members at the state capitol on Lobby Day, January 18th to tell your legislators why this bill needs to be changed, and why we need revenue solutions instead of budget cuts to higher education and other state agencies that citizens count on. Email the union office to reserve your lunch and place on a bus: tschroeder@seiu925.org.

We will be taking buses down to Olympia with hundreds of SEIU Local 925 members. You will go with a group of other union members to visit your representatives and senators to make them understand that their constituents need them to step up and make this right.

Next year’s contract fight

Once we know where the collective bargaining bill changes are going, and once we’ve put some time and resources into clarifying our contracts, we begin the plan for our next round of negotiations for contract year 2011—2013.

Be thinking about what improvements our contracts need, because we will all need to work together on our next contract negotiations. Surveys and other communications will begin after the first of the year. What classifications are significantly behind in pay? What kinds of workplace protections need to be bargained? Get ready to fight for them!


Your 2009 Negotiating Committee
Anne Lawson
Jose Mayorga
Lois Egan
Christine Lakey
Tom Small
Kathy Thomason
Jody Bundrock
Ron Maxell
Dornie MacKenzie