Union Cancels All March Bargaining Dates
SEIU 1199 has informed UW/Harborview that it must cancel all of the parties’ agreed upon and scheduled March bargaining dates due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
UW has consistently advocated for the parties to begin collective bargaining for the 2017-2019 master contract as early as possible, in order to be better positioned to avoid unnecessary delays and potential complications around implementing changes in tandem with UW’s upcoming HR/payroll system transition.
UW has expressed concern that the previous two rounds of negotiations with SEIU 1199 have each taken at least nine months and over 20 sessions to complete, resulting in delays to implementing benefits such as wage increases for thousands of employees.
UW is seeking clarification and additional bargaining dates, but as a result of the cancellation, the parties’ first scheduled bargaining date is now April 6.