UW vaccination requirement: FAQs

SEIU 925 members have several questions regarding the vaccination policy and our Memorandum of Understanding. We will add to this document if we hear additional questions, or have answers to those we are still researching. The majority of the questions relate to members who are working through their options as to whether or not to vaccinate, or whether or not an exemption may be right for them.

What happens if I submit my exemption request after September 24, 2021?

Get your exemption in by September 24th! The Employer will continue to accept exemption requests until October 18th, but your options become much more limited if you do not meet the September 24th deadline.

For people who have submitted retirement paperwork, are using leave until their retirement date or end of the year (whichever comes first), will they still get their 25% sick leave pay out?

If they have sick leave and are eligible for VEBA payout, then they will get it.

If terminated on October 18th, will members healthcare end immediately, or is it valid through the end of the month?

Your health care will be valid through October 31.

If someone has a serious adverse reaction to the vaccine, will the Employer fight a worker’s compensation claim?

UW Human Resources has confirmed that they will not fight a claim that is accepted by L&I.

Will I be able to keep my pension?

If you are fully vested, you will keep your accrued pension.

If my exemption request is approved, am I guaranteed to keep my job?

The answer to this question depends upon whether or not the UW can make an accommodation that keeps you, your coworkers, clients, patients, and students safe. If they cannot do so in your current position, they will look at vacant positions within your department, then outside your department. It is possible that they will not be able to accommodate you.

How many hours are needed to accrue a vacation credit? If I am terminated on 10/18, will I still get a vacation credit?

SEIU 925 employees need to report no greater than 80 hours x FTE of LWOP in order to accrue for the month. Re: termination and accrual in the final month:  if the employee works in the beginning of October and reports hours and they are terminated on October 18, that is after the 16th of the month, so unless they’ve exceeded 10 days of LWOP, they will accrue in full for the month.  If their termination is on or before the 15th of the month, they won’t accrue anything.

How many hours are needed for a retirement credit for the month of October?

8 hours of paid time is always required to continue benefits, however for PERS participants, retirement credits vary depending on the hours reported to DRS.  For less than 70 hours reported a participant gets .25 service credit, 70-90 hours reported gets .5 service credit and >90 hours reported gets 1 service credit.  For UWRP, years of service is not calculated based on one month, but rather a year, so each individual’s will vary based on their year of data. 

Can members donate accrued sick leave prior to October 18 if they intend to be terminated?

Yes, but you can only donate time that would be able to use. For example, you can donate 40 hours on October 1, but only if you work at least 40 hours before October 18.

If someone believes they have supporting evidence for both a medical and a religious exemption, why can they not apply for both?

You can apply for both.