SEIU 1199NW – UW Negotiations Recap for June 10, 2025
Background
This recap details the twelfth session for the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the University of Washington and the Service Employees International Union 1199NW (SEIU 1199NW). Recaps are published online on the UW Labor Relations website.
Tentative Agreements
The parties tentatively agreed to the following:
MOU – Apprenticeship Program
The parties agreed to update this MOU to include language where if UMWC-NW or UWMPC elect to utilize an apprenticeship program during the next two years, the Employer would use the Healthcare Apprenticeship Consortium administered by the SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multiemployer Training Fund if there was an applicable program available. The parties also agreed to remove language limiting this to medical assistants and they agreed to keep the Mentor/Coach Premium Rate for the program at $1.50 per hour.
New Article – Reasonable Accommodations for Employees with Disabilities
The parties agreed to include a new article that was already current practice but was not included in the body of the agreement. This article details that the Employer and the Union would comply with all relevant federal and state laws, regulations, and executive orders and with the provisions of University Policy Statement 46.5 on Reasonable Accommodation of Employees with Disabilities. Furthermore, this new article would details the rights of employees and requesting accommodation or leave with regards to disability.
SEIU 1199NW Counter Proposals
Article 14 – Unpaid Absence
In response to the Employer’s proposal, the Union proposed clarifying that Union Project Activities could be replaced by Temporary Employment with the Union (see Article 2.9). Additionally, the Union proposed to define Faith or Conscience as qualifying under RCW 1.16.050 and included the definition. Finally, the Union proposed striking language in numerous subsections because the language was duplicative and covered in 14.2.
New MOU – Social Work Supervision
In response to the Employer’s agreement to meet and discuss, the Union withdrew this proposal.
UW Initial Proposals
Article 30 – Classifications and Reclassifications
30.3
The Employer proposed that it would reduce the amount of advance notice for any proposed creation, elimination, or modifying class specifications from 45 days to 30 days. Additionally, the Employer proposed that for an employee occupying a position reallocated to a class with a lower salary range maximum, they would be placed at a step on the new range closest to but not less than their current rate of pay up to a maximum auto step. If that employee’s current salary was above maximum auto step, their salary would be y-rated until the range catches up. In this proposal, for situations where employees were reallocated to a class with a higher salary range, the progression start date would be the first of the current month for effective dates falling between the first and fifteenth of the month and the first of the following month for effective dates falling between the sixteenth and the end of the month.
UW Counter Proposals
Article 3 – Union Representatives
3.2 Officers/Delegates
In response to the Union’s proposal, the Employer proposed to include language where delegates would be permitted a reasonable amount of time to assist in the resolution of legitimate employee grievances on the Employer’s property without loss of pay. Additionally, the Employer proposed that Union delegates would be granted reasonable time during their normal working hours to investigate and process grievances in accordance with Article 23 – Grievance Procedure. They would also be released during their normal working hours to attend meetings scheduled by management within the delegates/officer’s office or facility for the following: grievance meetings and investigatory interviews.
Article 7 – Hours of Work and Overtime
7.1 Work Day
The Employer proposed to simplify the normal work day shift length language so that it would now read 8 hour, 10 hour, or 12 hour shifts.
7.2 Work Period
The Employer proposed to include language that would allow for 8/80 work periods within a designated fourteen day period.
7.5 Overtime
The Employer proposed to strike language the regarding employees working 12-hour shifts receiving time and a half after 12 hours worked and double time after 14 hours. This means that the Employer agreed to the Union’s proposal for double-time after 12 hours worked. The Employer was unable to agree to the Union’s proposal where it proposed that for the purposes of computing overtime, holidays or leave with pay during t he employee’s regular work scheduled would be considered time worked.
7.10 Rest Between Shifts
The Employer was unable to agree to the Union’s proposal regarding employees who were called back to work, whether or not they were on standby, qualifying for rest between shift premium.
7.13 Clinic Closure (Emergency Conditions and Inclement Weather)
The Employer proposed that advanced plans would be updated as needed and since there was no central communication hub, the Employer proposed to strike that part of the Union’s proposal.
7.13.6 Parking
The Employer agreed to most of the Union’s proposal where UW parking in unrestricted spaces would be provided at each campus for which suspended operations had been declared.
7.13.7 Onsite Work
In response to the Union’s proposal, the Employer proposed that in the case of inclement weather, or suspended operations, telework arrangements would be encouraged for positions which were conducive to telework.
Article 8 – Compensation
8.1.1 Wage Rates
The Employer proposed moving the language regarding additional progression increases to 8.6 Job Profile Recruitment/Retention Compensation.
8.6 Pay on Demotion
The Employer proposed a new subsection, 8.6 Pay on Demotion, the describes what would happen in the situations where an employee occupying a position that was reclassified to an existing class with a lower salary range. In this scenario, employees would be placed on the step in the new range which was closest to the current salary not to exceed the top automatic step of the new range. Progression start dates would remain unchanged.
8.7 Salary Schedules
The Employer proposed including clarifying language regarding Y-rated employees and their relationship to salary schedules changes.
Article 9 – Other Compensation
9.1.1 Service and Maintenance Bargaining Unit Shift Differential
The Employer proposed to increase the Service and Maintenance Bargaining Unit’s shift differential for employees who work a majority of their hours in the second shift from $1.35 to $1.50 over the hourly contract rate of pay. Similarly, the Employer proposed to increase the third shift, shift differential from $2.00 to $2.25 per hour. This proposal would align the carve out language for Certified Nursing Assistants with the rest of the bargaining unit, so the Employer proposed striking the carve out language.
9.1.2 Professional Technical Bargaining Unit Shift Differential
The Employer proposed renaming this bargaining unit to include a new job classification, Radiology Supervisor. The proposed title would then be Professional Technical Bargaining Unit Shift Differential.
9.2 Low Census Standby Pay
The Employer proposed increasing the low census standby pay to $4.00 per hour.
Custodian Lead Assignment and Lead Pay Subsections
The Employer proposed new language that would carve out the assignment pay for custodian leads to be paid at $2.00 per hour for the duration of their assignment. Additionally, the Employer proposed to strike subsections 9.4 Lead Pay, 9.4.1 Service and Maintenance Bargaining Unit Lead Pay, and 9.4.2 Professional Technical Bargaining Unit Lead Pay in favor of a proposal to use existing TSI language for employees assigned lead duties where these sections used to include specific dollar amounts per hour. Custodian Lead Assignment was specifically carved out because the TSI would be less than the $2.00 per hour proposal.
9.6 Temporary Assignment
The Employer proposed including language that would clarify the title; this proposal would rename this subsection to 9.6 Temporary Assignment Appointment to a Higher Position.
9.12 Field Training Officer
The Employer proposed including language regarding current practice where Hospital Security Officers had been designated as Field Training Officers. This language is the current practice of Field Training Officers receiving a 7% increase for all hours where they provide direct training or instruction.
9.13 Modality Pay
The Employer proposed reformatting the modality pay table included in this subsection. Additionally, this proposal included adding two new job classification series: Advanced Cardiac Technologist and Advanced Cardiac Technologist Leads.
Article 20 – Committees
20.1 Labor/Management Committee
In response to the Union’s proposal, the Employer could not agree that the committee would be representative of all job classes and departments. The Employer instead proposed that a variety of job classes and departments would be included. The Employer could also not agree to increase the meeting duration from 60 minutes to 90 minutes. Finally, the Employer proposed that topics for discussion could include, but was not limited to, department specific topics, customer service collaboration, health and safety, training fund collaboration, and Annual Engagement Survey process and results. The Employer did not agree to start taking meeting minutes.
20.4 Compensation
The Employer proposed that in addition to paid release time for the meeting, 30 minutes prior for caucus, the Employer would also pay for paid release time for 30 minutes post meeting for caucus as well. The Union had proposed 60 minutes prior meeting caucus time and 30 minutes post meeting for caucus.
Hospital Staffing Committee
In response to the Union’s proposal, the Employer proposed to include language that it would follow the guidelines of RCW 70.41..420 and the committee’s agreed upon charter. Members of the Hospital Staffing Committee would be compensated at the applicable rate of pay for all time spent in committee meetings.
MOU – Ground Rules for the 2025-2027 Agreement
In response to the Union’s proposal, the Employer could agree to housekeeping edits only. It was unable to agree to pay for any hours missed for designated bargaining team members when they participated in bargaining sessions.
Side Letter E – Virtual New Employee Orientation
In response to the Union’s proposal, the Employer could not agree to expand the amount of time during NEO for the Union’s orientation portion.
New MOU – Safety Boot Reimbursement
In response to the Union’s proposal, the Employer agreed to accept the Union’s proposal to reimburse $150 for footwear for specific job profiles. In the Employer’s counter, the footwear would need to meet OSHA requirements for protection with a protective toe shield.
New MOU – EVS ACET Certification and Training Fund
In response to the Union’s proposal, the Employer could not agree and rejected this proposal.
New MOU – Regarding Employee Feedback to Supervisors
In response to the Union’s proposal, the Employer proposed clarifying the duration and origination of this MOU. Additionally, the Employer proposed clarifying that the Annual Engagement Survey may be available in multiple languages as they were not able to promise this would happen. The Employer struck that the Annual Engagement Survey data would be made available to the Union to view by department or through other job class and system level sorts. The Employer did agree that employees should have clarity on who they are evaluating. The Employer struck the language about contacting the Labor Relations office to view employee chain of command. Employees can use Workday, Teams, or Vitals to view this information and the Employer offered to show anyone who needed help. Finally, the Employer agreed that managers would hold department meetings with employees to review and discuss the survey results and Workday review data.
New MOU – Break Relief
In response to the Union’s proposal, the Employer could not agree and rejected this proposal.
Next Steps
The next SEIU 1199NW and UW bargaining session is scheduled for June 11, 2025, and will be held in person.