University of Washington Human Resources

Negotiations Update to the GME Community

To the GME Community:

I am writing to update you on the University of Washington’s ongoing negotiations with the Resident & Fellow Physician Union—Northwest (RFPU-NW). Both parties have met regularly since January and last night completed the seventh bargaining session for the 2022-25 contract.

During that meeting, UW presented a second proposal on compensation as scheduled, which included an additional salary increase in the first year of the contract as well as an increase to the annual allowances. However, we remain far apart on compensation, as RFPU-NW has not changed or reduced its initial proposed compensation increases, which if implemented would require significant cuts to other critical programs, training, and staffing.

We understand that negotiations take time, and that bargaining is a process. And we remain committed to negotiating in good faith toward a fair and equitable agreement. To that end, during last night’s session, we also asked the union to participate in mediation, beginning in May, in hopes that we might come to a resolution before the current contract ends on June 30, 2022.

In the meantime, we will continue to engage constructively and look for common ground on the important issues in front of us. Recaps of all bargaining sessions are posted on UW’s Labor Relations website.

Thank you for your continued support of our residents and fellows and your collaboration as we navigate this process together.

Sincerely,

Timothy H. Dellit, MD

Chief Medical Officer | UW Medicine
Executive Vice Dean for Medical Affairs | UW School of Medicine
Vice President for Medical Affairs | University of Washington
President | UW Physicians