WFSE Wins: Furlough Protections at UW Medicine

When UW Medicine announced they would be furloughing staff, our union took action to ensure that any reductions would be minimal and applied fairly. Our team negotiated into early Saturday morning and secured the following:

  • Our health care and retirement are protected.
  • Voluntary furloughs will be pursued before mandatory furloughs.
  • Furloughs will be based on seniority, shift and experience.
  • UW will assist furloughed employees with filing for unemployment benefits.

Furlough requests and notices begin on Monday, May 25.

Over the past several weeks, our action has made the difference—from our May 14 unity break to our banner drops and sticker up on Friday. We made it clear that UW must respect our jobs, families and communities throughout this pandemic.

Read on for a summary or view the full agreement here.

Download audio of the agreement in Tigrinya. (Interpreted by WFSE member Ogbamical Goitaom)

 

UW Staff Rally at May 14 Unity Break

More than 100 UW employees spoke up for furlough protections at a May 14 unity break held at Harborview Park in Seattle.