WHY UNIONIZE?
WHY ARE THOUSANDS OF UW EMPLOYEES UNIONIZING WITH UAW?
The University of Washington is a world-class institution because of the hard work of over 100,000 dedicated employees. While many staff love the work we do, thousands of us still lack a collective voice and a seat at the bargaining table to be able to advance our jobs and the mission of the university. Every new union contract is an opportunity to further improve our jobs and address the wide-ranging issues faced by staff. For example, Research Staff recently won a contract based on these priorities.
Fair Compensation
Non-unionized staff at UW have no guaranteed annual salary increases, and in 9 of the last 20 years there were no merit wage increases, and the average yearly increase has only been 2%. Without a cost-of-living raise, pay effectively decreases. Inflation and rising living expenses means that maintaining the same salary year after year results in less purchasing power. And this isn’t just a personal issue, it also impacts our ability to support the communities we serve. Wage stagnation has rippling effects on housing instability, food insecurity, chronic stress and more. All of which worsen community outcomes. When UW underpays its staff, it undermines its own mission to promote equity and wellness.
Unionized workers at UW have successfully negotiated raises to the salary minimums and guaranteed annual increases for all unionized workers. But the goal of unionization goes beyond pay increases. Keep reading to learn more about other issues that can be addressed.
Job Security
Forming a union means immediately having a say in layoff policies and just cause protections for discipline and dismissal. This is especially important now as threats from the federal government create uncertainty and non-union employees lack a seat at the bargaining table.
By unionizing, UAW members have won strong protections against unjust termination and layoff protections, including increased layoff notice and preferential rehire.
Pathways for Career Advancement
Without a union, promotion and reclassification processes are often opaque and inequitable, leading to unnecessarily high turnover among staff at UW. It is not uncommon for non-union staff to be denied promotions after years of performing work above their pay grade on the promise that it will be rewarded eventually. Meanwhile, contracts won by UAW-represented employees ensure that pay increases with experience and additional responsibility always means additional compensation. Additionally, unionized workers have won increased support for training and professional development. Investing in our skills and advancement benefits both employees and the institution.
Non-discrimination and Harrassment
All workers at UW deserve a respectful work environment. UAW members at UW have won enforceable protections in establishing a survivor-centered process for reporting discrimination, harassment, or other inappropriate workplace conduct including representation throughout the process, access to grievance process and binding 3rd party arbitration, and the right to interim measures during investigation. These protections ensure survivors’ careers are not jeopardized by reporting abusive behavior. Once protections are negotiated into the union contract, workers have real recourse to stop abusives of power through the union grievance process. All UC employees can gain greater power to prevent discrimination and harassment by forming a union.
Protections from Overwork
Excessive working hours and overwork issues are widespread among UW employees. Without workload protections, we may find ourselves routinely working excessive hours without additional compensation.
Just like our unionized colleagues at UW, all staff need the ability to set firm boundaries regarding the scope of our jobs and clear expectations that our availability is not at the full control of our managers.
The more workers who unionize at UW, the more power we all have to continue making progress in all our workplaces. Joining with colleagues in UAW is not merely a step towards improving our individual lives, it’s a stride towards elevating the entire University of Washington to meet and set higher standards of employee wellbeing and institutional excellence.
What issues do you want to address?
If you are facing any workplace issues, schedule a meeting with a member of the organizing committee to talk about it. Add your voice to the conversation!
“I care deeply about people, and I care deeply about the work I do. I think that most of us across UW can relate! This makes the runaway hours, isolation, and lack of adequate compensation that so many of us grapple with all the more frustrating. When we suffer, our work suffers with us. We all deserve the support and balance that a fair contract will bring. Likewise, the breadth of work we touch deserves a diverse and dedicated pool of professionals not held back by serious financial strain and burnout. I want my peers to thrive!”
“Together we can have a say in the conditions of our employment, from compensation to professional development. We can join with each other to ensure that we are all treated equitably and have the opportunity to thrive in our jobs and communities.”
“Our country has a proud union heritage and there’s a good reason why. It’s one of the most effective tools that workers can leverage in order to advocate for themselves and their workplace environments. As the cost of living keeps increasing and wages have stagnated, we need to unite together and vote for something that can change our wage and our workplace for the better.”