We Showed Up Prepared. UW Didn’t.
We walked away feeling disrespected by the lack of preparedness from UW after this week’s bargaining sessions.
We spend entire days preparing to bargain. We know that we’re fighting for your future, our future, and the thousands of students, patients, and families who rely on us. We show up ready to negotiate.
University of Washington management has shown up to the table with little to say. They request hours of caucus time, to come back and reject our proposals. They even confused our contract with others at UW.
These Mistakes are Costly.
Every minute we spend negotiating is time our coworkers spend understaffed. It’s insulting to every bargaining team member and worker who is impacted by reduced staffing levels.
Negotiators from the University sought to modify our contract to match other union contracts. They want all contracts at the university to be “consistent” and have matching language.
It’s not our job to ensure contracts are synced up at UW. Your bargaining team won’t stop fighting for the best contract for WFSE members because UW finds it difficult to keep contracts in check.
They know we deserve better—that’s why UW employees started employee food banks at UW.
You read that right. The University isn’t paying us enough to survive. So many workers are food insecure that a UW employee started an employee food bank at Harborview Medical Center and main campus. How many managers on UW’s bargaining team use food banks because their wages have been suppressed so low that they can’t feed themselves? We’re unsure, but we haven’t seen them stopping by to grab non-perishables.
The greater UW community is waking up and realizing we deserve more. Many of UW’s own staff and faculty expressed support for WFSE’s calls to action at the President’s Circle garden party, where members told donors about UW’s shameful pay and the struggles employees face at the prestigious University.
We aren’t giving up, no matter how difficult this session gets. Management can stonewall us and talk down to us all they want, but we know that UW works because we do. If the University wants to be an employer of choice and retain talent that keeps campuses and medical centers running, they must respect our wishes and help us work towards a better UW.
How You Can Help
We need you to help make our fight visible in your workplace. Come to actions when they happen on the job site and off. Talk with your coworkers about what’s happening during bargaining. Build solidarity by discussing what you wish could change, and tell your Council Representative what you think.
Not a member? Join today and help us win a strong contract!
Submit a photo and quote to raise visibility on why we need a strong contract.
Visit our 2025-2027 Contract Negotiations landing page to learn about how negotiations work, and download social media graphics, flyers, and posters to support your bargaining team.
We aren’t backing down. We deserve more than canned beans and a pat on the back. This University would fall apart without us—don’t let them forget it.