March 24, 2022
Town Hall
On Thursday April 7th, 4-5pm, we will be hosting a virtual public Town Hall forum to discuss the status of our campaign and what it will take to start bargaining with UW Administration. Please take a moment to RSVP now and read more below about the background and context.
90 Days and Counting
As you know, on December 21, 2021, we filed a representation petition and asserted that a majority of the nearly 1,500 Research Scientists/Engineers in Assistant-4 titles (RSE A-4s) had signed union authorization cards. After thousands of conversations with our RSE colleagues, we have held the position that RSE A-4 should have the right to bargain together (and we remain committed to being as inclusive as the law allows). We also sent a letter to President Cauce asking UW Administration to “join us in committing to quickly proceeding through the certification and recognition process so we can get to work negotiating a first contract.” A little over a month later (February 2, 2022) UW challenged 272 individuals, claiming that they should be excluded from the bargaining unit. UW has the burden of proof to demonstrate why. Since then, we have had three meetings with UW Administration and the Washington State Labor Board (February 17, March 21-22) and asked them to provide more information. RSEs have also been filling out attestations stating they do not have independent supervisory or managerial authority to help.
No Movement from UW Yet
There are over 50 departments with challenged RSEs, but UW has only produced substantial information about one department since early February. We also are concerned that UW is not yet acting on information they have compiled. For example, UW identified several RSEs that “do not have any supervisory responsibilities that would include hiring, terminating, layoff, direct performance evaluation, corrective action, etc.” but is still challenging them as supervisors. The State Labor Board representative identified several other employees as almost certainly included, but they are still being challenged by UW. Many RSEs who testified at these meetings and/or submitted attestations are still being challenged.
Pace and Impacts
At this pace, this process could continue for months—or longer. While we wait for our democratic choice to be certified, RSEs are still unnecessarily having promotions or wage increases delayed or denied. And bargaining over critical issues that we’ve identified as our reasons for forming a union in the first place—wages, equity, flexibility—are not being addressed.
Our Town Hall: Delay is Not OK
Thus, next month’s meeting will be a conversation with the broader campus community about what is happening and how we can help speed the process. Please come and be part of this important discussion! We’ll hear about the current status of our campaign (and more about what is the basis for the University’s challenges) and get historical perspective on why certification often takes longer than average at UW. We’ll also discuss steps we can take to hasten the process (UW Postdocs overcame a similar problem in 2018, for example). Please take one hour of your time to listen in, ask questions, and contribute to the conversation. RSVP here.
Free U-PASS!
On a more positive note, on March 10, 2022 the UW Regents voted to approve a free U-PASS for all campus employees – including Professional Staff Researchers. U-PASS provides full fare coverage on King County Metro, Community Transit, Sound Transit, Pierce Transit, Kitsap Transit, Everett Transit bus services, Sound Transit’s Link light rail and Sounder commuter trains, and previously cost Researchers $50 per month. This came after a years-long campaign, detailed here, led by a coalition of UW campus unions and community groups dedicated to providing affordable public transit for all. Unionizing helps improve conditions for all! Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
In solidarity,
The UW Researchers United Organizing Committee