Dear Colleague,
We kicked off bargaining for our next Academic Student Employee (ASE) contract with UW Admin today!
In our first bargaining session, we presented our Initial Bargaining Demands (IBDs) as ratified by thousands of ASEs across the UW alongside proposals on seven articles and reached agreement on ground rules for bargaining.
In their initial proposal for ground rules, UW Admin put forth language limiting who could represent union members at the bargaining table. We are fundamentally committed to our bargaining team being democratically elected by members. We reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) on ground rules only after Management agreed to remove this language and add language to ensure accessibility of bargaining sessions.
Management did not introduce any proposals today aside from ground rules.
The specific proposals we put forward today included:
Articles 8 (Grievance Procedure); 29 (Union Rights); 30 (Union Security)
Through previous rounds of bargaining, we’ve won in our current contract some of the most robust grievance procedures in the higher ed sector to resolve workplace issues. This includes interim measures and extended grievance filing timelines for ASEs facing harassment and discrimination, which has set industry standards for contract language addressing these issues. To keep our contract at the forefront of addressing workplace issues, we proposed interim protections and improved timelines for filing all grievances alongside other measures to strengthen our ability to assert our rights as workers.
We also proposed stronger language to ensure that each and every ASE receives a union orientation, access to on-campus meeting spaces, and more in line with comparable peer institutions. In a similar vein, we proposed new language in Article 30 (Union Security) to add an option for ASEs to join our union during quarterly registration online.
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Articles 4 (Appointment & Reappointment Notification & Job Description); 16 (Layoffs) Many ASEs experience significant financial insecurity due to inadequate information about resources and appointments being offered on a quarterly basis. To address this instability that undermines our ability to conduct work effectively, we proposed funding for summer quarters and aligning minimum appointment lengths with normative time to degree completion. Additionally, we proposed language to improve access to crucial information about resources such as the Disability Services Office (DSO) & Disability Resources for Students (DRS) processes and the UW Voluntary Investment Program (VIP) in all future ASE appointment letters. Additionally, we proposed updating language currently in Article 16 (Layoffs) to accurately reflect that ASEs work and register for credits throughout the calendar year, not just the academic year. We believe that removing this clause streamlines the language of the contract and eliminates confusion for both ASEs and the University. |
Article 5 (Childcare)
Caregiving ASEs across the UW experience a unique intersection of extreme stresses associated with working in an academic environment while raising children. Those of us with dependents often face severe financial hardship, mental health challenges, and hard decisions about the tradeoffs of continuing work while maintaining access to childcare. Our proposal expands access to childcare services and resources through increasing the Childcare Assistance Fund, enabling access to the Dependent Childcare Assistance Program (DCAP), guaranteeing spaces at UW childcare facilities and programs, and more.
New Article (Immigration)
We proposed a new article on immigration to address the unique challenges that international and undocumented ASEs face at the UW, including limited access to funding opportunities, navigating complex levels of bureaucracy, and shouldering the impacts of xenophobic policies alone. To ensure that the UW can become a truly boundless and global workplace, we proposed a new article that includes:
- Reimbursing immigration-related fees
- Providing and funding immigration-related legal assistance
- Implementing a peer-led advising program in collaboration with the UW International Student Services (ISS) and UAW
- Providing paid leave for immigration proceedings and election voting
- Facilitating remote work options for ASEs facing travel restrictions
- Offering re-employment opportunities for ASEs affected by immigration status
- Providing tax assistance for international ASEs
- Advocating for due process in immigration investigations
In the coming days, the 2024 ASE Bargaining Portal will be added to the UAW 4121 website. In the meantime, you can access & read the proposals from today’s bargaining session here.
Questions? Want to get more involved? Reach out to ase-bargaining@uaw4121.org.
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In solidarity, Natalie Wellen (Applied Mathematics) |
