UW IHME – SEIU 925 Negotiations Recap for December 5, 2023
This recap details the ninth virtual session for the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the UW IHME and SEIU 925. Recaps are published online on the UW Labor Relations website.
Tentative Agreements
The parties tentatively agreed to the following articles:
- Article 51 – Represented Limited Term Hourly Employees
- The parties agreed to add a list of articles that apply to SEIU 925-IHME hourly employees.
- The parties also agreed to update the definition for Represented SEIU 925-IHME hourly employees to be hourly paid employees doing the bargaining unit work on an hourly basis for no longer than 12 months.
- The parties agreed to update the sick leave accrual policy to reflect current University practice.
- MOU – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- The parties agreed to convert this MOU into a new article.
- The parties agreed to add more specific language regarding engagement in DEI activities, including that time spent contributing to the DEI Council and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) would be considered work time and that supervisors will work with employees to accommodate DEI-related activities.
- The parties agreed to adjust language that will require IHME to maintain a formal structure to encourage feedback and identify and implement activities to foster greater DEI, and that Sr. Management Team designees will offer to meet with leads of ERGs to discuss feedback during fall and spring quarter annually.
- The parties also agreed to add language that allows pay disparities identified by the Union to be appropriate topics for Joint-Labor Management meetings.
- The parties agreed to add language that requires members of interview teams to have taken training on implicit bias and interviewing skills.
- The parties agreed to add language stating that IHME will encourage ERGs to report on their activities during Town Hall meetings and will recognize the contributions of community leaders during Town Hall meetings and/or during the organizational citizenship component of the employee’s annual performance review.
- Finally, the parties agreed to add language requiring IHME to maintain a budget of funds for ERG initiatives as funding allows.
- New Side Letter X – Compression and Inversion Study
- The parties agreed to create a new side letter that requires the Employer to conduct a compression and inversion analysis of bargaining unit employee salaries at least six (6) months prior to the expiration of this agreement.
The parties tentatively agreed to maintain current contract language for the following articles:
- Article 18 – Holidays
- Article 19 – Vacation Leave
- Article 20 – Sick Leave
- Article 24 – Shared Leave
Union Counter Proposals
Article 16 – Compensation, Wages, and Other Pay Provisions & Appendix 1 – Job Classifications – The Union’s compensation counterproposal would increase the minimums and maximums of the wage scale (including in Appendix I) for each job profile by 7.75% on January 1, 2024. The Union adjusted its proposal for subsequent years to increase the minimums by an additional 5% on January 1, 2025, and 4.5% January 1, 2026.
The Union counterproposal would also increase all employee salaries across-the-board by 7.75% effective January 1, 2024, and adjusts their proposal for subsequent years with additional increases of 5% on January 1, 2025, and 4.5% on January 1, 2026.
Employer Counter Proposals
Article 16 – Compensation, Wages, and Other Pay Provisions & Appendix 1 – Job Classifications – The Employer’s compensation counterproposal maintains from its prior counterproposal an increase to minimum and maximum salaries (including in Appendix I) by 3% effective January 1, 2024 (if ratified on or before December 31, 2023), and an additional 2% on January 1, 2025, but increases its proposal for January 1, 2026 to an additional 2.5% increase.
The Employer’s counterproposal also maintains from its prior counterproposal an increase all employee salaries across-the-board by 3% effective January 1, 2024 (if ratified on or before December 31, 2023), and an additional 2% across-the-board on January 1, 2025, but increases its proposal for January 1, 2026 to an additional 2.5% increase.
New MOU – Recruitment and Retention Adjustments – The Employer proposed creating a new MOU for Recruitment and Retention Adjustments in which the Employer proposed to provide a 4% increase over their current salary for employees in the following working titles if agreed upon by December 31, 2023:
- Data Analyst
- Data Analyst, Publications
- Data Extraction Analyst
- Research Scientist
- Researcher
The Employer proposal would also provide a 2% increase over their current salary for employees in the following working titles if agreed upon by December 31, 2023:
- Data Library Curator
- Data Library Curator 2
- Data Services Specialist
- Data Services Specialist 2
Article 23 – Parental Leave – The Employer rejected the Union’s prior counterproposal to provide up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave and reasserted the Employer’s initial proposal to capture existing parental leave provisions in accordance with current University policy. The Employer counter-proposed to add language that states that parental leave can be granted as intermittent leave or a reduction in hours if it meets business needs and has the approval of an employee’s supervisor, and that employees could also request schedule and/or FTE changes in accordance with Article 10.3.
Additionally, the Employer counterproposal adds language that would allow employees outside of Washington state to contact the Employer-provided employee assistance program (EAP) for assistance in finding information about existing paid leave programs in their state of residence.
New Article XX – Telework – The Employer counterproposal adds clarifying language that references the University’s International Remote Work policy – stating that the Employer would provide Union notice and fulfill its bargaining obligations if changes are made to said policy that impact mandatory subjects of bargaining.
Next Steps
The next UW IHME and SEIU 925 bargaining session is scheduled for December 12, 2023 and will be held virtually.