Our July 31st session was a huge disappointment. UW showed up with inconsistent proposals and several proposals that benefit management only. And, for weeks now, management has tried to change our contracts because of issues they’ve had with non-WFSE members on campus. We’ve made little progress; reaching two tentative agreements by August 6th, while continuing to fight the University of Washington for fair benefits and pay for our members!
UW rejected all our proposals in the July 31 session, often without justification. But when your bargaining team rejected UW’s proposals, management became irate and demanded justification—justification they would not give us in return.
The message we’ve received has been consistent and simple: UW management does not want WFSE members to have a better contract, and they are going to fight against any gains we try to make.
“Management benefits from giving us a raw deal,” said Ken Clark, representative for campus-wide trades. “The last time we bargained, they voted for an 8% raise for themselves. We are the ones who are guarding their secure areas, mopping their floors, cooking and serving their food, repairing the buildings, and keeping the campuses beautiful. The last time I saw a manager picking up human [feces] from the entrance to a building was never!”
Management presented a compensation report comparing University of Washington employees with other employees in the Seattle area. The findings were clear—UW is paying less, about 12 percent less, than peer employers. This should be enough to show that UW needs to get serious and pay up—but we know they won’t unless we put up a fight.
In addition to showing us that UW pays less than peer employers, management proposed taking away the MOU for pre-scheduled double-time during critical staffing levels when employees work overtime. Their reasoning? UW is no longer facing staffing shortages and it is not sustainable to continue paying these wages.
Despite a bargaining team member being called into work because of critically low staffing levels, many WFSE members, are required to work mandatory overtime exceeding their scheduled shift instead of hiring FTE’s
You heard that right–UW isn’t paying as well as other employers in Seattle, they say we are fully staffed and want to get rid of an MOU when departments continuously rely on this to cover staffing shortages.
Management is fighting our proposal to include all workers in our shoe reimbursement policy and increase the reimbursement amount. We believe that every worker at the University of Washington should have proper safety equipment–UW management clearly doesn’t.
Management is also trying to weaken our ability to conduct union activities, saying stewards should only be allowed to talk to members in non-work areas during non-work times–this includes dropping off flyers and other info materials. Stewards would also have to notify management that they’re coming. UW management did not have an answer when we asked what a “non-work area” is.
We need to get loud. We’ve been going back and forth with UW management on several key parts of your contracts. Employee rights, apprenticeship programs, timelines for representation, licensure requirements, personal leave, work schedules, and more.
Management will not give us anything. We have to fight for pay raises, vacation time, safety, and rights in the workplace. We need you to show management that we are enraged that they think so little of their workers! Talk to your coworkers and attend actions. There is something for anyone who attends to do—talk to people, hand out info, or just build solidarity together.
We Have Upcoming Job Actions! Join Us For an Overpass Action on August 20.
Click here for more information to join us in building solidarity and telling Washington that we need a fair contract!
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