University of Washington Human Resources

WFSE – UW Negotiations Recap for Monday, August 22, 2022 and Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Background
This recap details the sixth and seventh 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.

Jason Campbell, Associate Vice Provost Planning and Budgeting, presented a breakdown of the FY23 budget and the financial health of the Employer.

Tentative Agreements
The parties tentatively agreed to the following:

New MOU- Critical Recruitment and Retention Wage Increases
The Employer acknowledges the staffing challenges present throughout the University and the importance of immediate implementation of wage increases for recruitment and retention purposes. The parties agreed to an MOU that would increase wages for specified classifications facing critical recruitment and retention challenges. The agreement includes regular employees and non-permanent intermittent employees, who will be placed on their current step in a new range. Temporary hourly employees not on steps will receive an increase in their hourly rate if below the new range, if applicable. The increases will have an effective date of September 1, 2022. The proposal includes increases for the following job profiles:

Article 8- Employee Facilities
• This article details employee facilities. New contract language was added regarding lactation stations.

Article 15- Inter-System Movement
• This article details transfers within state agencies without a break in service. Housekeeping edits were made to align with university policy.

Article 19- Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Associations
• Housekeeping edits were made to this article only. This article details Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Associations funded by the retiree’s sick time off cash out.

Article 21- Federal Family Medical Leave Act and Parental Leave
• This article details FMLA and Parental Leave. New contract language changes parental leave from up to four months to up to six months.

Article 23- Shared Leave
• This article details Shared Leave. New contract language clarifies that Shared leave donations must be a minimum of four hours, however, it may be used in any increment.

Article 25- Absence Due to Family Care Emergencies
• Housekeeping edits were made to this article to change instances of the word “leave” to now read “time off”. This article details how an employee may use time off types in a family care emergency.

Article 40- Mandatory Subjects
• This article details Mandatory Subjects. New language includes the email of mandatorynotice@wfse.org.

MOU – Public Records Requests and Privacy
• No edits were made to this MOU. This MOU details how public records requests are handled.

Side Letter F– Tracking Discrimination and Bias
• Housekeeping edits were made to this Side Letter only. Side Letter F details how annually the Employer will provide information about discrimination and bias to employees and the Union.

MOU – Leave of Absence WFSE President
• Housekeeping edits were made to this MOU only. This MOU details how an employee accepting a position as a Union Officer will be granted leave without pay for up to thirty-six months.

MOU – Salary Overpayment Recovery
• Housekeeping edits were made to this MOU only. This MOU details the process for salary overpayment recovery in the instance where an employee was overpaid.

MOU – UW Medicine Pre-Scheduled Voluntary Double-Time Shift
• Housekeeping edits were made to this MOU only. This MOU details the process for the Employer to pre-schedule voluntary double time shifts.

Side Letter A– City of Seattle Minimum Wage
• Housekeeping edits were made to this Side Letter only. Side Letter A details how the salary steps will be affected by Seattle minimum wage.
UW Initial Proposals

New MOU- Market Based Increases
The Employer proposed to raise the range of 34 different job codes based on the data presented by Milliman.

Appendix II- Differentials
The Employer proposed changes to Standby Pay to raise the premium from $4.00 per hour to $5.00 per hour and proposed removing the contract language stating the Standby premium raises from $4.00 to $6.00 after 30 standby hours in a pay period.

UW Counter Proposals

Article 2-Non-Discriminamtion
The Employer proposed adding new contract language that employees may also report discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on the bias reporting tool.

Article 3- Reasonable Accommodation of Employees with Disabilities
The Employer’s counter is for the article to stay with current contract language.

Article 7- Employee Rights
The Employer proposed adding new contract language clarifying the off duty employment policy.

Article 14- Hiring, Appointments, Promotions, and Transfers
In response to a proposal by the Union, the Employer proposed to add new contract language outlining a process for internal lateral movement to a new vacant shift within Unit/Department.

Article 18- Sick Leave
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 33- Transportation and Commute Trip Reduction
The Employer proposed to incorporate the fully subsidized U-Pass described in Side Letter G into the article.

Article 36- Corrective Action Dismissal
In response to a proposal by the Union, the Employer proposed to increase the time allotted to find a Union Representative from 72 hours to 3 business days.

Article 38- Seniority, Layoff, Rehire
The Employer reasserts its initial proposal from 8/18.

Article 39- Resignation and Abandonment
The Employer’s counter is for the article to stay with current contract language.

Article 42- Union Activities, Rights, and Stewards
The Employer proposed adding new contract language giving apprentice stewards access to investigatory meetings/fact finding (with mutual agreement) and Step One for training purposes.

Article 45 – Compensation, Wages, and Other Pay Provisions
The Employer proposed the following across-the-board increases to all members of the bargaining unit over their current salary:
• July 1, 2023: 2%
• July 1, 2024: 1%

Article 48- Staffing Concerns
The Employer proposed adding new contract language that if either party has staffing concerns a Joint Labor Meeting would be scheduled.

WFSE Initial Proposals

Article 33- Transportation and Commute Trip Reduction
The Union proposed moving Side Letter D and Side Letter G into the body of Article 33.

Side Letter C- Patient Care Techs at UWMC-Montlake
The Union proposes renaming this article “ACCESS TO SHOWERS AT UWMC-MONTLAKE, HMC, AND CAMPUS WIDE” and scheduling a meeting to discuss employee access to showers across the University.

Side Letter E- Seattle Campus Custodial Parking
The Union is proposing reopening this expired Side Letter and changing the effective dates to expire in September of 2025.

Appendix 6- Contracting Out Form
The Union is proposing adding new contract language stating WFSE would receive immediate notice regarding the Employer contracting out in an emergency and the work would be completed within two calendar days.

WFSE Counter Proposals
Article 28- Inclement Weather and Suspended Operations
The Union proposed if leave without pay is used during suspended operations employees may request to makeup time within five working days after operations resume.

Article 36- Corrective Action Dismissal
The Union proposed adding new contract language stating the employee will have up to four business days to secure a Union representative and the day the employee is notified would not count as day one.

Article 45 – Compensation, Wages, and Other Pay Provisions
The Union proposed the following across-the-board increases to all members of the bargaining unit over their current salary:
• July 1, 2023: 30%
• July 1, 2024: 30%
The Union also proposed various premiums be increased.

Article 48- Staffing Concerns
The Union proposed adding new contract language stating the Employer will set a reasonable staff to patient ratio for Hospital Assistants, Medical Assistants and Patient Care Technicians to include but not limited to, workload and adequate patient care issues

Article 52- Trades Apprenticeship Program
The Union’s counter is for the article to stay with current contract language.

MOU- Scholarship Fund for Medical Center Employees
The Union proposed that following the successful agreement of the 2023-2025 contract SEIU 925- and WFSE-represented employees at Harborview Medical Center and UW Medical Center would receive a $150,000 pool for academic year 2023 and 2024, to be used for scholarship funds of employees.

Next Steps
The next WFSE and UW bargaining session is scheduled for Wednesday, September 7, 2022 and will be held virtually. Parties mutually agreed to an additional bargaining date of September 8, 2022.