March 23, 2023
Bargaining Update
This week we met UW Admin at the bargaining table for our 20th bargaining session.
Below is an overview of three of the proposals we exchanged:
- Performance Evaluations (Union, employer proposal) and Classification and Reclassification (Union, employer proposal): one of the most consistent issues we have heard from RSEs is the lack of consistent, if any, performance evaluations and guidance for promotions. We have made some significant movement with these two articles towards having, at a minimum, annual performance evaluations and clear guidelines for RSEs to pursue career advancement at UW. We are pleased that UW has been responsive to our concerns on these articles, but will continue to work towards getting these articles finalized as soon as possible.
- Non-Discrimination and Sexual Harassment (Union, employer proposal): at the root of it, the main issues still being negotiated in this article are about equity, which we know is a major concern among RSEs. UW again removed the language in this article outlining an equity survey that would be conducted annually for RSEs. It is unclear how Admin imagines that we can collectively work to address equity issues at any type of systemic level if we don’t base this work in data. Other sticking points in this article relate to providing examples of what can constitute harassment and language about accommodations for lactating employees.
We did reach tentative agreements on the following two articles yesterday:
Also, a reminder that you can view all exchanged proposals at our Bargaining Center.
We invite you to attend an upcoming bargaining session, and when appropriate, to share an example of how a proposal would directly impact your life and your research. Our next bargaining sessions are Wednesday, March 29th and Friday March 31st. Caucus starts at 8am. Please RSVP here. You can also see other upcoming April sessions at this link.
Stay up to date with our latest news and actions by following our social media accounts: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and also, reach out if you have any questions.
Additionally, if you’d like to keep up with what’s happening more broadly than just our Research Scientist unit, check out the UAW 4121 email updates. Also we are part of UAW Region 6, which represents over 100,000 people across 9 states.
In solidarity,
UWRU/UAW Bargaining Committee
Thaddeus Armstrong
Leila Blair
Nick Bolten
Jai Broome
Erin Carll
Morgan Crotta
Iván Cruz
Abby Gambrill
Jay Mas Gilvydis
Anya Kalata
Julia Kobelt
Katherine Lasdin
Ellen MacLachlan
Katie Osterhage
Deborah Nemens
Van Redila
Annelise Smith
Galen Stewart
Jacob Tietsort
Stacey Wedlake
Ryan Will
Tricia Wu