Joining Together for a Better Western
We are Western student employees, and we are proud of our work as teachers, researchers, and tutors at Western. However, many of us lack secure rights and protections in the workplace, struggle with low compensation and inadequate health care, and face uncertainty about our careers. We are undergraduates and graduates across all WWU’s colleges and disciplines, and we share a vision of a University that’s a better place to work and study.
We have witnessed the power of organized student employees to dramatically improve their working conditions through unionization with the United Auto Workers (UAW). We are coming together to form a union with the UAW so that we can improve our workplaces and our lives—and in turn create a stronger, more equitable Western.
Educational Student Employees are bargaining our historic first contract!
As Winter Quarter draws to a close, Educational Student Employees officially have 13 bargaining sessions with Western Administration under our belt. At this point, there have been 36 articles presented at the negotiation table, with 22 articles still open and 14 articles Tentatively Agreed upon! Check out our Bargaining Center page to catch up on all of our proposals!
Get Involved with Bargaining!
The negotiations for our historic first Educational Student Employees are underway! We won open bargaining, so everyone can see what both sides of the table are saying. Come observe a session or check on the counter proposals after each one!
Operational Student Employees are fighting for Voluntary Recognition!
Our bill that would ensure collective bargaining rights to Operational Student Employees across WA was killed, but WWU can still recognize our unit and start bargaining over our most pressing issues right now! Check out Western administrations’ responses to our request, and add your name to our recognition letter.
Demanding Voluntary Recognition!
We’re having all Operational Student Employees and the greater Western and Bellingham Communities sign onto this letter, to show Western that we believe ALL student employees deserve the protections we win in Bargaining
We are collaborating with all the unionized workers of WWU to demand that the state prioritize budgeting for fully funded higher education across Washington
WWU plays a critical role in the education and research that benefits the state of Washington. It’s unacceptable that our institution continues to be underfunded, when we give so much back to our community and our state. As a unified body of all 5,000 unionized workers at Western (WFSE, PSE, WAWU, UFWWU, SEIU), we are calling on the state legislature to provide Western with the funding it deserves.
Hundreds of WWU Workers filled red square on Pi Day (3/14) to show Western that we want to work with them to expand the pie. Add your name to the petition to ensure that WWU gets adequate funding from the state
Western works because WE DO. Let’s work together and take away any excuses that the pie just isn’t big enough for all of us.
Recent News
Operational Student Employees Have Filed for Recognition!!!
12/13/23 Operational Student Employees Have Filed for Recognition!!!On December 13th, 2023, all 1,100 of us deemed “operational” student employees filed to form a union with majority support from the members in our unit. We filed at the Washington State Public...
We’re holding a vacancy election!
Bargaining Committee Elections Announcement Nominations for the WAWU Bargaining Committee are now open. Accept your nomination before the deadline on Monday, December 11th! Accept your nomination using THIS FORM! The Bargaining Committee (BC) is the elected group of...
Update / Summary from 1st Bargaining Session
Yesterday afternoon, we started negotiating our first ever contract with WWU admin. The 10 of us elected Bargaining Committee members and almost 20 other Educational Student Employees from across campus showed up to the Old Main Solarium, where we sat across the table...
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