We're Walking Out For Washington on September 10 at 12 pm.
Click here for information about walkouts at your job site.
Don't see your job site? Click here to learn about leading a walkout!
Our initial compensation proposals were presented, including a King/Pierce County location pay; weekend pay for all workers; training pay for all who train other employees; a safety boot/shoe stipend; reimbursement for maintaining licenses UW requires, same step increases on all pay tables, and more.
Yet, this session was another huge disappointment from UW management. They showed up ready to fight us tooth and nail on all our proposals… while proposing “helpful” additions to our contract, without recognizing how they actually affect us, and benefit no one but themselves.
Overtime is another issue we are continually fighting for. UW wants to cut overtime rates, especially for Harborview Security Officers, who rely on double time to keep staff (including management), patients and visitors safe by keeping the frontlines fully staffed. Management claims we are “near full staffing levels” and “no longer facing the same staffing issues experienced during COVID”. UW workers know that isn’t true, and the hundreds of hours of overtime worked across main campus and the medical campuses attest to UW’s low staffing levels.
Travel staff, perdiem, and new hires were getting paid more than UW’s permanent staff - in fact, they’re still offering sign-on bonuses for positions we are trying to fill. What about your current employees, University of Washington? How will RCW 49.28.140, Hours of Health Care Facilities Mandatory Overtime be considered this contract? How can we be the employer of choice, and keep the staff we have now?
Your bargaining team is trying to get equitable breaks across departments and clarifying language so all workers can get the necessary rest they deserve to do their work well. But management is fighting us, especially UW Medicine workers and Hospital Security Officers.
UW has a history of problematic adherence to break schedules, including a grievance brought by shuttle drivers last year who were not allowed to take rest breaks, breaking their WFSE contracts and state law. Employees haven’t been educated on properly documenting missed rest breaks or meal periods, meaning they’re also not being paid for their hours worked and breaks not given.
Now, UW is trying to make changes to the broken system at their medical centers, but saying that Hospital Security Officers are not directly involved with patients, are not considered “healthcare workers” and don’t deserve the same meal and rest breaks for health care facility employees outlined in RCW 49.12.480.
UW management has been pushing for an outdated and impractical apprenticeship program since the beginning of bargaining. Their program would turn an 18 to 24-month apprenticeship into a 7.5-year apprenticeship. Not a single worker at UW would benefit from this drawn-out timeline, which keeps workers from reaching the top of their pay scale in a reasonable time period.
One member says, “In trades, there are three pay levels: Apprentice, journey, and foreman. That's it! There are no steps that take years to get to the "top" pay step. Would management ever hire a journey-level mechanic at step A? I don't think there is an experienced mechanic who would agree to come to work at UW for that low pay even if they had only been at it for 18 months.”.
As we saw in our last session, UW is paying about 12 percent lower than similar employers—and now they want to waste employees’ time with their ridiculous apprenticeship program. This is a blatant way to underpay tradespeople at UW.
UW management has shown a disregard for the safety, well-being, and livelihoods of their workers, again and again. This week management reminded us that they don’t think anything needs to change—they ignored our concerns about worker safety, burnout, and staffing levels.
We have to stand up for ourselves and show University of Washington management that we deserve a better contract—and we need one. Staffing conditions will continue to deteriorate and take the quality of UW down with them unless employees are treated well enough to stay.
Our voices at the bargaining table aren’t enough.
Join us in solidarity at the Walkout For Washington on September 10th, at 12:00 pm to demand a fair contract.
Participation is encouraged for all bargaining unit members regardless of employer, agency or college on break or during scheduled vacation.
Click this link for information about walkouts at your job site.
Don't see your jobsite? Click here to learn about leading a walkout!
We're doing this for ourselves and our families, for each other, and for the folks who depend on our work. A fair contract can't wait.
When we fight, we win. Remember—management isn’t the University of Washington. WE are the University of Washington.
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.
Use Hashtag #UnitedforWashington to post about our contract campaign and follow all the action on our social media channels!