We were back at the table on Thursday (April 30) for another contract bargaining session.
Before we dive in:
On May 27, join your fellow research staff for a virtual Affordability Forum to ensure that our contract reflects the critical, life-changing work that we do. This is our chance to discuss the compensation, overtime, and childcare issues impacting us, and to build power for these wins in our contract.
You can build power to win better job security and fair pay by becoming a member. Already a member? Invite 3 of your coworkers here:
And now, here’s what happened:
Bargaining Recap Video 4/30/26
Tentative Agreement: Article 8 – Employment
We reached a tentative agreement on Article 8, preserving the current contract language. This article governs the terms of employment offers: what must be included in a written offer letter and when.
We Presented Article 18 – Layoff, Rehire, and Seniority
This is one of the most consequential articles in the contract, governing what happens when our positions are eliminated. Our team brought powerful testimonies from members who’ve lived through what happens when layoff protections are confusing and opaque, and we’ve proposed a set of changes that would make a real difference. Rank and file member Kerry Lannert, RSE-4 from Hematology, joined bargaining to testify about how the current rehire system fails both laid-off staff and hiring departments alike.
Here’s what we’re fighting for:
| Goals | Limitations of Our Current Contract | How Our Proposal Fixes These Limitations |
| Transparency in layoffs | Right now, the University can lay off workers without explaining why that employee in particular was selected. We have cases from several departments proving this isn’t hypothetical. | When we are laid off, we deserve to know why, in writing, with specificity. Written justification isn’t a bureaucratic ask. It’s about transparency and fairness. |
| A rehire list that actually works | Laid-off employees aren’t fired. They’ve lost funding or experienced changes in staffing needs, often through no fault of their own. The rehire list is supposed to be a pathway for more job security. We’re given 5 days to opt in (despite the current contract having no timeline), our non-responses count as declines, and we’re only considered for exact-match job titles despite broad, overlapping classifications. Not to mention our eligibility expires after 12 months, far too quickly given the hiring freeze in place. | We deserve a more accessible rehire list with extended time to get on the list (5 days → 45 days), longer access to the list (12 months → 18 months), a more straightforward process that leaves decision-making to the worker and hiring manager, and rescissions to ensure RS are matched to the best position possible without being penalized. |
| Protection from involuntary FTE reduction | Limited protections for temporary involuntary FTE reductions; currently includes 30 days’ notice for permanent and temporary FTE changes, and a 3-day window for permanent FTE reductions to get on the rehire list. | We deserve a better layoff framework that covers both temporary and permanent FTE reductions and provides earlier notice to staff (30 days → 45 days) faced with threats to our jobs. RS on involuntary temporary FTE reductions won’t lose seniority, will maintain insurance, and will be able to use accrued time off. In addition, UW will submit standby status paperwork to WA state so RSs can access unemployment benefits. |
| No exceptions | The current contract gives management limited exceptions to layoff notice requirements during “financial emergencies,” “acts of nature,” and “suspension of operations”. | We deserve notice and a fair process for any and EVERY kind of layoff. Our livelihoods don’t stop mattering during an emergency, and we proposed removing the exception language from our contract. |
UW Presented Articles 4 & 13
| Article | Our Proposal | UW’s Proposal |
| Article 4: Classification and Reclassification | We previously proposed clearer reclassification timelines intended to speed up the movement of position reviews from departmental limbo to UW Compensation. | UW rejected our position review forms and our proposed time-bound process, and left out our proposal to have workers and their managers notified by HR. |
| Article 13: Hiring, Promotions, and Transfers | We previously proposed keeping the current contract language. | UW changed language to align across UW contracts and to match Workday (for example, using “job profile” instead of “job classification”). |
You can stay up-to-date via our bargaining portal and proposal tracker here.
Stay engaged. Stay loud. The work you do matters, and so does this contract.
In solidarity,
Your Bargaining Team
Gabriel Beuchat
Iván Cruz
Tess Grover
KeliAnne Hara-Hubbard
Evan Howard
Jessamy Johnson
Lucas O’Bryan
N. Shane Patrick
Gracy Shaw