Labor Relations

Comprehensive UW-WFSE Tentative Agreement Reached

The parties reached a comprehensive tentative agreement for the 2015-2017 contract after meeting on September 23 and 25, which has been ratified by WFSE’s membership.

Summary of the 2015-2017 Agreement

For an overview of the agreement, please find the Summary of the WFSE–UW 2015-2017 Comprehensive Tentative Agreement, or continue reading below.

Wages

  • General Wage Increases:
    • 3% across the board increase effective July 1, 2015.
    • 2% across the board increase effective July 1, 2016.
  • Minimum Pay Step Adjustment: Effective July 1, 2015, any regular, non-hourly employee whose salary is less than $2080 per month ($12/hour) will be placed on a pay step that is at least $2080 per month.
  • Market Wage Adjustments: Effective July 1, 2015, several job titles will receive pay range adjustments up to 80% of the market median.

Article 3: Reasonable Accommodation

  • Disability Leave: Interspersed paid leave used for continuity of benefits will be applied to the first working day of the month.

Article 6: Joint Union/Management Committees

  • Pre-meeting Time: Employees will not experience a loss in salary for Joint Union/Management Committee pre-meeting time.

Article 9: Union Activities

  • Union Stewards: WFSE will send steward lists once per month (previously “periodically”), and the parties agreed to remove unused language on shop steward elections.

Article 10: Employee Rights

  • Investigatory Meetings: New language clarifies that employees will be provided reasonable time to secure a representative prior to an investigatory meeting.
  • Paid Release: Employees will be granted paid release time during normal working hours for the purpose of attending (not preparing for) meetings or hearings scheduled by management pertaining to the grievance, corrective action, or negotiations processes.
  • Time off for Union Activities: Travel time will be included in leave without pay to attend union-sponsored activities.

Article 22: Personnel Files

  • Removal of Documents: Removal of documents language will be expanded to apply to record of any corrective action, not just formal counseling.

Article 23: Corrective Action

  • Corrective Action Process: New language clarifies that management may determine the step at which the corrective action begins based on the nature and severity of the problem.
  • Representation Rights: Management will inform an employee of their representation rights under the contract when conducting a formal or final counseling.
  • Meeting before Formal Counseling: Before a formal counseling is issued, a meeting may be scheduled by management or requested by the employee to provide a chance for the employee to make their case before the final decision is made. Employee requests for such a meeting will be granted, and employees are entitled to representation at this meeting.
  • Removal of Records: Once corrective action is removed from an employee’s file, the information will not be used in subsequent action unless by mutual agreement.

Article 27: Holidays

  • Faith/Conscience Holiday: Leave without pay will be granted for up to two workdays per calendar year for reason of faith or conscience, to which employees may apply compensatory time, personal holiday, or vacation leave. Such requests may only be denied if the employee’s absence would create undue hardship (per WAC 82-56) or the employee is necessary to maintain public safety.

Article 31: FMLA and Parental Leave

  • Workers’ Compensation: Employees receiving workers’ compensation time-loss benefits may elect to receive time-loss exclusively or a combination of time-loss and accrued leave (in the order of sick leave, then compensatory time, then vacation time before leave without pay).

Article 35: Miscellaneous Paid Leaves

  • Bereavement: Bereavement leave may be taken in continuous or non-continuous days.
  • Domestic Violence Leave: New language cites the Domestic Violence Leave Act (RCW 49.76).

Article 36: Military Leave

  • Military Leave: New language cites the Military Family Leave Act (RCW 49.77).

Article 37: Leave without Pay

  • LWOP Requests: New language establishes that employees must submit written requests for leave without pay prior to the leave being used when feasible.

Article 48: Classification

  • Update: Outdated language regarding the implementation of a classification system was removed.

Article 53: Commute Trip Reduction and Parking

  • Flexible Schedules: Departments with continuous and/or public responsibility may establish independent work schedules, and are encouraged to consider employee requests for flexible schedules for commute trip reduction purposes. Such requests may be approved by the employing official depending on operating, business, and customer needs.

MOU: SEIU 925 “Me-Too” and Wage Discussions

  • Update: Outdated language linking WFSE wage increases to those negotiated by SEIU 925 was removed, as was language committing the UW and WFSE to meet at least quarterly to discuss wage issues.

MOU: HR/Payroll System

  • HR/Payroll System: New MOU acknowledges that the UW’s new HR/Payroll system is scheduled to be implemented on January 1, 2016, and that the parties will begin bargaining in October of 2014.

MOU: Medical Assistant Wages

  • MA Wages: UW will move Medical Assistants to a healthcare pay table on a range that results in a pay increase and that is competitive with the peer labor market, effective January 1, 2015.