Last updated: June 27, 2026
Note: Layoff Seniority Unit value not available in Workday until mid-July.
Employees who have completed their probationary period and hold permanent status may have layoff rights. These rights are outlined in:
- Collective bargaining agreements for represented employees
- Civil service rules (Title 357 WAC) for classified non-union employees.
Employees in positions represented by a union with layoff rights have layoff seniority within their layoff seniority unit.
Definitions
“Layoff seniority” is defined as the continuous length of service in calendar days with the UW from the most recent date of hire. Layoff seniority is lost following a break in service such as termination (voluntary or involuntary) or movement out of classified service, expiration of rehire rights, or movement to positions that do not have layoff rights (e.g., professional staff, faculty). Layoff seniority calculations are further defined in relevant collective bargaining agreements or civil service rules.
“Layoff seniority unit” is a defined grouping within which a represented employee is offered an employment option (sometimes referred to as a “bump” option) in accordance with their collective bargaining agreement or civil service rules. Layoff seniority units are typically the major org, division, or a combination of major orgs and defined in the appendices of collective bargaining agreements.
Layoff employment option process
When it becomes necessary for a department to reduce its workforce due to lack of work, lack of funds or reorganization, an employee scheduled for layoff will be offered an employment option as outlined in their collective bargaining agreement or in civil service rules provided they meet the essential skills (as defined in minimum quals listed in the job description for the specific position) of the offered position. Typically, the single available option is determined by following the list below in descending order until the employment option is identified:
- A funded vacant position within the same job profile and layoff unit.
- The opportunity to replace or “bump” the most junior employee in the same job profile within the layoff seniority unit.
- A funded vacant position in a lower job profile within the same series within the layoff seniority unit.
- The opportunity to replace the most junior employee in a lower job profile within the same series within the department.
Supporting layoff seniority calculation accuracy
Because employment options are based on ensuring the employee has the required competencies for the position, and the employee’s layoff seniority and layoff seniority unit , it is critical that the following be maintained accurately in Workday:
- Job description: whether an employee is qualified to bump into a position will be based on the job description.
- Company service date: This date is set by HCM Operations or the UW Medicine HR WMS team.
- Layoff seniority unit: This value is a custom organization set by the HR Partner or Academic Partner. Layoff seniority units are specific to both the union and the major org of the position and, are configured to be set on all represented positions in Workday even if layoff seniority is not provided for in the collective bargaining agreement.
Setting the layoff seniority unit
Beginning mid-July 2025, HR or Academic Partners will be asked to:
- Identify the position’s layoff seniority unit in the Change Organization Assignments for Worker business process (which is triggered during the Create Position, Edit Position, and Edit Position Restrictions business processes).
- Search for either the position’s major org or union, and
- Select the layoff unit that best reflects the position’s major org/unit and union combination. While most layoff units are at the major org level, some are more granular.
List of contract covered layoff seniority units
| Collective Bargaining Unit | Layoff Seniority Unit Workday Name |
|---|---|
| SEIU 925 | PRES: Ombud and AAG (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | VPR: Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | PROV, VPR, GRAD, CC, APF, UAA, ROTC (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | UWB (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | UWT (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | LIB (excluding LIB: Law) (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | FPB (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | UWF (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | UW-IT: VP & CIO (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | MA (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | SL, UA, ICA, EXT (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | ENV (excluding APL) (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | ENG (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | CBE, LIB, LAW: Library, EVANS, FSB, ED, SSW (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | HSA: HSS (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | DENT, NURS, PHARM, SPH (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | UW MED: MCSS - PRES, UWMHS (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | UW MED: MCSS- CFO, UWMHS (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | UW MED: HMC (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | UW MED (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 926 | UW MED: FPPS (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 927 | UW MED: ALNW (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | SOM: Basic Sciences Depts (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | SOM: Clinical Depts (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | SOM: DEANS (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | SOM, SPH: Global Health (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | Special Employment Programs (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | CAS: Humanities (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | CAS: Social Sciences (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | CAS: Natural Sciences (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | CAS: Biology, Philosophy, Speech & Hearing Sciences (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | CAS: Dean's office and Burke Museum (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | HR (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | ISCHL: Information School (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 | PRES: DCCS (SEIU 925) |
| SEIU 925 IHME | SOM: IHME (SEIU 925 IHME) |
| SEIU 925 Libraries | LIB: Seattle Campus (SEIU 925 Libraries) |
| SEIU 925 Libraries | LIB: UWB (SEIU 925 Libraries) |
| SEIU 925 Libraries | LIB: UWT (SEIU 925 Libraries) |
| SEIU 925 Libraries | LIB: Network of the National Library of Medicine (SEIU 925 Libraries) |
| SEIU 925 Libraries | LIB: Gallagher Law Library (SEIU 925 Libraries) |
| SEIU 925 Libraries | LIB: UW Press (SEIU 925 Libraries) |
| WFSE Police Management | DCCS: UW Police Dept (UWPD) (WFSE Police Management) |
| WFSE Primary | PRES: Ombud and AAG (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | PROV, VPR, GRAD, EO, EOAA, UAA, ROTC, UWB, UWT, EH&S, Primate (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | LIB (excluding LIB: Law) (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | FPB: Finance, Planning & Budgeting |
| Creative Communications (WFSE Primary) | |
| WFSE Primary | UWF (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | UW-IT (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | MA (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | SL, UA, ICA, EXT (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | CAS (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | ENV (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | ENG (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | CBE, LIB, LAW: Library, EVANS, SSW, FBS, ED (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | DENT, NURS, PHARM, SPH (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | UW MED: Shared Services (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | UW MED: HMC (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | UW MED: UWMC (WFSE Primary) |
| WFSE Primary | SOM (incl VPMA) (WFSE Primary) |
| WSNA Montlake | UWMC Montlake: Acute care (WSNA Montlake) |
| WSNA Montlake | UWMC Montlake: Critical care (WSNA Montlake) |
| WSNA Montlake | UWMC Montlake: Surgical Services (WSNA Montlake) |
| WSNA Montlake | UWMC Montlake: Clinics (WSNA Montlake) |
| WSNA Northwest | UWMC Northwest: Inpatient & Specialty Care (WSNA Northwest) |
| WSNA Northwest | UWMC Northwest: Critical & Emergency Care (WSNA Northwest) |
| WSNA Northwest | UWMC Northwest: Surgical & Procedural Services (WSNA Northwest) |
| WSNA Northwest | UWMC Northwest: Primary Care Clinic (WSNA Northwest) |
| WSNA Northwest | UWMC Northwest: Medical/Surgical Specialty Clinics (WSNA Northwest) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC - Professional/Technical Unit (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC - Imaging Technologist Supervisor (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC - Pharmacy Technicians (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC - Dieticians (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC - Social Work (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC - Speech Language Pathologists (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC - Respiratory Therapy (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC - Respiratory Care (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC -Anesthesiology Technicians (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC -Electroneurodiagnostic Technologists (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC -PA-ARNPs (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: ALNW (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 | UW MED: HMC -Registered Nurses (SEIU 1199 HMC/ALNW) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | NURS (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SL: Husky Health, PRES: Env Health & Safety (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SPH (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Biochemistry (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Bioengineering (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Bioethics and Humanities (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Biological Structure (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Comparative Medicine (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Family Medicine (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Genome Sciences (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Global Health (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Immunology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Laboratory Medicine (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: MEDEX Northwest (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Microbiology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Neurological Surgery (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Neurology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Obstetrics and Gynecology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Ophthalmology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Pathology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Pediatrics (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Pharmacology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Physiology and Biophysics (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Radiation Oncology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Radiology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Rehabilitation Medicine (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Surgery (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Urology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Emergency Medicine (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Health Metrics (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Allergy and Infectious Disease (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Cardiology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Dermatology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Gastroenterology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: General Internal Medicine (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Hematology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Medical Genetics (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Nephrology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Oncology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 Research/HH | SOM: Department of Medicine: Rheumatology (SEIU 1199 Research/HH) |
| SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW | UW MED: UWMC - NW: Nursing Departments (SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW) |
| SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW | UW MED: UWMC - NW: Medical Records (SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW) |
| SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW | UW MED: UWMC - NW: Admitting/Admit ER (SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW) |
| SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW | UW MED: UWMC - NW: Laboratory/Outreach Phlebotomy (SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW) |
| SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW | UW MED: UWMC - NW: All Departments, except Nursing - Administrative Assistants (SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW) |
| SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW | UW MED: UWMC - NW: Other by job class and dept (SEIU 1199 UWMC-NW) |
| IBU | Inlandboatmen's Union (IBU) |
| Teamsters 117 Print Plant Craft Employees | Print Plant (Teamsters 117 PP) |
| UAW-ASEs | UAW Academic student employees (UAW-ASEs) |
| Post Docs | UAW Postdoctoral Scholars |
| UAW-RSE | UAW Research scientist engineers (UAW-RSE) |
| Teamsters 117 | DCCS: UW Police Dept (UWPD) (Teamsters 117) |
| AFT | American Federation of Teachers (AFT) |
| RFPU | Resident and Fellow Physician Union (RFPU) |
| SAG-AFTRA | EXT: KUOW (SAG-AFTRA) |
If you have questions about which layoff seniority unit to select, please contact your Named Support Contact.