Labor Relations

WFSE – UW Negotiations Recap for Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Background
This recap details the fourth virtual session for the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the University of Washington and WFSE. Recaps are published online on the UW Labor Relations website. During this session, Milliman, a third-party consulting firm, presented the 2022 Classified Staff Salary Study.

Milliman Classified Staff Salary Study – Milliman, a third-party Consulting firm, presented an analysis of how the compensation for both healthcare and non-healthcare classified benchmark jobs compares to market. The analysis is based on salary data (actual data) from published Milliman surveys as well as a Higher Education Custom survey that Milliman conducted on behalf of the UW. A copy of the Classified Staff Salary Study can be found here.

UW Initial Proposals

Article 2 – Non-Discrimination
The Employer proposed to consolidate section two into section one without changing the intent or language stated in this provision.

Article 3 – Reasonable Accommodation of Employees with Disabilities
The Employer proposed housekeeping edits and adding in the specific titles of referenced University of Washington Administrative Policy Statements; proposed edits are cleanup without changes to rights or access.

Article 7 – Employee Rights
Off Duty Employment
The Employer proposed adding in the specific title of the referenced University of Washington Administrative Policy Statement.

Article 9 – Hours of Work and Work Schedules
The Employer proposed specifying that this article applies to regular employees in multiple sections of this provision.
Work Schedules – Nonscheduled Work Period
The Employer proposed additional detail regarding positions for which the hours cannot be regularly scheduled. In this proposal, the Employer proposed defining that this provision applied to positions which are assigned an FTE, work forty-hour weeks and do not meet any of the other work period designations.
Shift/Schedule Assignment Notification
The Employer proposed that the definition of a temporarily changed schedule would be defined as no longer than 90 days.

Article 14 – Hiring, Appointments, Promotions, and Transfers
Movement between positions within the University
The Employer proposed that the employee would have the option to revert to their former position if it is still vacant, be considered for reassignment in the same classification in the same department as their former position or be placed on the rehire list.
Promotion or Lateral Movement
The Employer proposed that employees who are not staying in a position after the first two months of the trial service period are over may be considered for reassignment in the same class as their former class in the same department as their former position or be placed on the rehire list.
Voluntary Demotion
The Employer proposed that an employee would have preemptive rights to their former position if the position is vacant and that they could be considered for reassignment in the same classification in the same department as their former position, or be placed on the rehire list.

Article 15 – Inter-System Movement and Transfer
The Employer proposed edits that would clean up the details when permanent state employees move from other state agencies to UW without a break in service, including making it clear that employees in this situation do not have to have a probationary period.

Article 18 – Sick Time Off
The Employer proposed many housekeeping edits throughout this article.
Accrual
The Employer proposed edits that would better describe current practice.
Sick Time Off Use
The Employer proposed adding language that would further describe circumstances in which sick time off could be used.

Article 21 – Federal Family Medical Leave Act and Parental Leave
Parental Leave
The Employer proposed to increase parental leave benefits from 4 months to 6 months. Also that for birth parents, temporary disability leave for pregnancy is in addition to parental leave.

Article 52 – Trades Apprenticeship Program
The Employer proposed striking this article to be replaced by a new MOU – Trades Apprenticeship Program. The intention of this MOU is set into motion a plan to implement a Campus Trades Apprenticeship Program by June 30, 2024. The proposed MOU details the creation of a committee formed of six Employer representatives and six Union representatives, would start meeting in August 2023, and would expire upon implementation of the Campus Trades Apprenticeship program.

MOU – Critical Recruitment and Retention Wage Increases
Prior to this session, the Employer had proposed via email to increase the pay of the following job classifications, found here.

New MOU – Hospital Custodian Series
The Employer proposed to create a new series involving custodians at UW hospitals. In this proposal, hospital custodians would move to a new classification that differentiates the work this position performs. The Employer proposed to compensate the new Hospital Custodian Series shown here.

This table would replace the $1 per hour Infection Control premium that currently exists for custodians working for Environmental Services at UW Medical Center and Harborview.

The Employer proposed housekeeping edits only on the following provisions:

  • Article 10 – Overtime
  • Article 16 – Holidays
  • Article 19 – Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Associations
  • Article 20 – Miscellaneous Leave

On the following provisions, the Employer proposed to maintain current contract language:

  • Preamble
  • Article 1 – Union Recognition
  • Article 4 – Workplace Behavior
  • Article 5 – Affirmative Action
  • Article 6 – Grievance Procedure
  • Article 8 – Employee Facilities
  • Article 11 – Training and Professional Development
  • Article 12 – Licensure and Certification
  • Article 13 – Tuition Exemption Program
  • Article 22 – Child/Dependent Care
  • Article 27 – Leave Related to Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault or Stalking
  • Article 31 – Health and Safety
  • Article 32 – Uniforms and Special Clothing
  • Article 33 – Transportation and Commute Trip Reduction
  • Article 35 – Personnel Files
  • Article 36 – Corrective Action/Dismissal
  • Article 37 – Employee Assistance Program
  • Article 39 – Resignation and Abandonment
  • Article 40 – Mandatory Subjects
  • Article 42 – Union Activities, Rights, and Stewards
  • Article 43 – Joint Union/Management Committees
  • Article 44 – Classifications and Reclassification
  • Article 46 – Health Care Benefits Amounts
  • Article 47 – Contracting
  • Article 48 – Staffing Concerns
  • Article 49 – Privacy
  • Article 50 – No Strike/Lockout
  • Article 51 – Board of Regents
  • Article 54 – Subordination of Agreement and Saving Clause
  • Article 55 – Contract Publication
  • Article 57 – Management Rights and Responsibilities
  • Article 58 – Term of Agreement
  • Article 59 – Drug Testing
  • Article 60 – Represented Regular Temporary Employees
  • Article 61 – Diversity and Inclusion

Next Steps
The next WFSE and UW bargaining session is scheduled for Thursday, August 18, 2022 and will be held virtually.