Who We Are
Our Contract Enforcement Work Group meets regularly to discuss and take appropriate action on ongoing and emergent contract violations and issues across campus. We have been an integral part of ensuring that our contracts are upheld and honored by the University of Washington.
What We Do
Grievance Procedure: Our ASE contract, Postdoc contract, and RSE contract all outline clear grievance procedures for resolving disputes with the University. They define how a grievance is filed, handled, and resolved either within a department (step 1) or with the department and Labor Relations (step 2). If a grievance is not resolved in these two steps, it can be moved to a neutral third-party arbitrator for a fair and impartial judgment on the grievance.
Get Support
The Union has a strong track record of assisting ASEs, Postdocs, and Research Staff to resolve problems successfully, usually quickly and informally. If you have a concern, problem, or question about any aspect of your work, please email contractenforcement@uaw4121.org immediately before trying to resolve the issue by yourself – even before initiating an informal discussion with your supervisor or department – so that you get the best possible advice and are sure to preserve your rights under our Grievance Procedure. Keep in mind that Step 1 grievances (except grievances over discrimination and harassment issues) must be filed within a certain timeframe from the occurrence of the events giving rise to the grievance (21 days for RS, 30 days for ASEs & PDs), or from the time at which the aggrieved individual should reasonably have become aware of the grievance. Grievances over discrimination and harassment must be filed within 180 days.
Understanding Union Representation in the Grievance Process
Who/what is a union rep?
While you do not need a union representative to file a grievance, your union siblings are available to provide support and input during the grievance process. Union reps will most likely be your department steward and/or a member of our union’s Contract Enforcement Work Group (CEWG).
In almost every case, your union representative is a fellow ASE, PD, or RS. They are serving as a union representative in a volunteer capacity. This means it can be helpful to keep in mind a few things:
- ⌛ Timeliness of Correspondences: You can generally expect a reply within a reasonable timeframe (~72 hours) on any grievance email. However, your representative may be delayed (we’re only human after all!). If you have continued difficulty reaching your union rep, please email contractenforcement(at)uaw4121(dot)org.
- ⚖️ Limits to Reps’ Knowledge: Union reps are not lawyers and cannot provide legal advice. We’re also not experts on every possible grievance. Your rep may need to consult with CEWG members to provide answers to more complex questions.
- 🔁 Multiple Cases: Your rep may be juggling multiple grievance processes at any given time. On the one hand, this is a good thing as it allows reps to draw connections between related cases and builds our union’s power. It might also mean they have to balance their limited capacity across cases.
What does a union rep do?
| ✅ What your representative will do | ⚒️ What your representative might do | ❌ What your representative will not do |
|---|---|---|
| Help you interpret the Collective Bargaining Agreements (i.e., our contracts) to build a case for your grievance | Help organize actions in your lab/department/unit around your grievance (some reps will ask stewards or unit organizers to take this on so they can focus on the formal grievance process) | Offer legal advice |
| Connect you with departmental stewards and unit organizing committees to organize actions in support of your grievance case | Write the entire grievance on your behalf | |
| Be available 24/7 |
Common Questions
Why is my rep not from my department?
Sometimes there is a vacancy in a steward position in a department. If you have a trusted peer in your lab who is also a member, they can absolutely be your rep! CEWG is always happy to train up members to support grievance processes. However, there may simply not be anyone available from your department to support.
I want a new union rep. Is this possible?
For a multitude of reasons, a new rep may step in to support during a grievance process. Example reasons include:
- The rep has an unexpected project come up, changing their capacity and necessitating that they step back from the case
- A grievant requests a rep who is more familiar with their department, and a member with that knowledge is available
CEWG will do its best to get a new rep promptly. That said, there are occasionally members who are unhappy with their rep’s approach to the grievance process. Our union is obligated to offer representation. However, CEWG reserves the right to refuse to offer a different representative if a member has been offered three different representatives and remains unsatisfied with the experience.
Join Contract Enforcement Work Group
We meet once a week to discuss and take steps on ongoing and emergent issues on campus. Meetings will be set based on workgroup members’ availability. We would love to have you come to these meetings and get involved. You can share what’s going on in your department to help us understand current and past practice related to an ongoing case, or you can share a development that needs our attention. Please email contractenforcement@uaw4121.org or check out the UAW 4121 calendar for details about meeting times and locations.
Why Join CEWG?
- Peer-to-Peer Support: Offer direct, concrete assistance to coworkers navigating workplace issues. CEWG is one of the most immediate and personal forms of union solidarity.
- Build Connections & Leadership Skills: Work closely with stewards and reps across departments, gain confidence with your contract, and develop as a union leader by spotting patterns across our collective bargaining agreements.
- Shape Future Contracts: Each case is an opportunity to strengthen our protections and inform bargaining, directly improving conditions for current and future UW employees.
- Practice Generative Solidarity: Engage in small, structured acts of collective problem-solving that model what it means to be a worker and union member at UW.