Western Washington University Student Employee Strike: A Comprehensive Overview

Western Washington University (WWU) has recently been the site of significant activity as Operational Student Employees (OSEs) have engaged in a concerted effort to advocate for improved working conditions and union recognition. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the OSE strike, including the reasons behind it, the university's response, and the potential impact on the WWU community.

Background of the OSE Organizing Efforts

Western Washington University supports the rights of students to organize and advocate for themselves. The university is aware of the organizing efforts by OSEs and continues to engage in ongoing dialogue with student leaders. Over the past 16 months, a majority of OSEs have demonstrated and voiced their need for a union multiple times. The first two times through authorization cards and the third time through their recent yes strike authorization vote (60% of the overall membership voted 94% in favor of a strike). Operational Student Employees have made it very clear that they want to form a union with WAWU/UAW and to negotiate a contract with WWU.

Reasons for the Strike

OSEs are seeking a contract that appropriately reflects the importance of the work they perform at WWU. Specifically, they are fighting for contract protections that Employee Student Employees (ESE) receive, including 30-day layoff protections, sick leave accrual, guaranteed paid training, and a legitimate grievance method through which they can hold the university accountable. OSEs want equity with ESEs, especially on the critical issues of sick leave, workplace safety, and layoff protections.

Key Demands of the OSEs

The OSEs are asking all members of the WWU community to refuse to cross their picket lines during the strike and voluntarily withhold their own paid labor from WWU. They are asking for the support of all unionized workers across Western. They want faculty to consider cancelling class in solidarity with OSEs and in respect of the picket lines. OSEs are also urging the WWU Administration to grant them equity with ESEs, especially on the critical issues of sick leave, workplace safety, and layoff protections.

University's Position and Response

WWU supports potential legislation that would extend collective bargaining rights to student workers. Should that legislation pass, the university will follow all legal steps to recognize and bargain with a certified union. WWU remains supportive of efforts to extend collective bargaining rights to operational student employees. If legislation is enacted, the university will follow the appropriate processes for recognizing and bargaining with a certified union. The university does not anticipate any disruption to academic coursework, final grades, or graduation timelines.

WWU is aware of ongoing activity and potential job actions involving Operational Student Employees (OSEs). While we support students’ rights to peaceful expression, we are also committed to maintaining university services and minimizing disruptions. Western respects students’ rights to engage in peaceful protest, expression, and advocacy in accordance with university policy and state law. However, the university also has a responsibility to ensure continuity of operations and services. Supervisors are encouraged to maintain open communication with student employees and to report any disruptions through appropriate channels.

Because OSEs are not currently recognized as a bargaining unit under state law, such actions are treated as expressive activity, not a formal labor strike. WWU supports lawful expressive activity and does not discipline students for participating in it, but student employees are not guaranteed paid leave for missed shifts.

Faculty Involvement and Solidarity

Faculty are empowered to support any OSE/WAWU demonstrations or actions with their voices and their words, whether in letters of support, messages. In addition, faculty can be involved in solidarity practices (i.e., providing support - food, supplies, materials - to OSEs, participating in non-strike activities). Faculty are not required to risk their safety by crossing picket lines.

Potential Impacts on University Operations

A work stoppage may impact social activities and programming, but all community- and resident needs will continue to be filled by full-time Residence Life staff. University Residences and Residence Life is committed to continuing essential duties that uphold safe and habitable residential communities through any work stoppage. In the event of a significant impact, regardless of the cause, Dining Services will focus first on maintaining full operations in the dining halls, followed by the markets, and then retail locations. If necessary, adjustments such as reduced hours or temporary closures of select retail locations may occur to ensure that core dining needs are met. Any changes to regular service schedules will be communicated.

Freedom of Expression on Campus

Western affirms and protects the right to peaceful protest, assembly, and expression. Expressive activity is permitted on campus so long as it follows established guidelines and does not disrupt university operations or infringe on the rights of others.

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Collective Bargaining and Union Recognition

To our knowledge, there is no legal precedent that prevents WWU from voluntarily recognizing the OSEs. Eastern Washington University voluntarily recognized a faculty union prior to the passage of RCW 41.76. There is nothing legally distinctive about a faculty union versus any other type of workers union, including student workers. Yet, Western keeps insisting, contrary to this established precedent, that it cannot recognize the OSE unit.

Clarification on Strike-Related Issues

Managers should not state an opinion (express or implied) in support of, or opposition to, any job action by the union with staff whether represented or not. The best and safest course of action is to not discuss it at all. No. Even where a strike is prohibited by statute, the First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees the right to association with others and express one’s opinion, unless the expression creates “a clear and present danger.” No court has yet held that advocating a strike, even an illegal strike, satisfies this standard. The Collective Bargaining Agreement in effect may contain “no strike” language and agencies and institutions may remind employees of the agreed-upon language.

All employees who fail to report to work as scheduled or leave work without authorization during job actions shall not receive pay unless they are on pre-authorized annual leave or on sick leave.

Budgetary Concerns and Academic Affairs

Budget cuts to Academic Affairs necessarily mean that less teaching will be done. Increasing class sizes will not solve the problem of low funding in the long term. It will only undercut the value of faculty work in profound ways and undermine our CBA. Increased class sizes will force faculty to absorb the impact of budget cuts and absolve the legislature of their responsibility to sustainably run higher education. The situation in Academic Affairs is more complex and the timeline is of a longer duration: cuts in Academic Affairs will be discussed this spring and into summer. There likely will be no confirmed decisions until fall.

Faculty Contracts and Workload

Yes, the administration must honor that contract if it is signed unless the program/department is being eliminated (via program reduction) per section 21.2.3. The Provost has verbally confirmed on several occasions (both before and after Olympia’s final budget was released) that the planned schedules for AY 25/26 are being honored. The schedule could be changed for folks on quarter-to-quarter contracts if program eliminations take place. For NTT instructors on year-long contracts, if there is a program elimination, they would still need to receive at least 3 months notice prior to termination.

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The CBA ensures that faculty work is being done by faculty (section 1.1) and that the assignment of teaching cannot be based on cost (section 8.1.2.7). These are core and fundamental commitments.

Class Sizes and Teaching Loads

Section 9 of the CBA preserves “historic departmental levels of teaching or librarianship” for faculty. Both the administration and the UFWW have agreed that faculty should have “stable teaching loads” that maintain what it means to fulfill one FTE workload in each college (based on the teaching allocation at the start of the first CBA). The CBA describes changes to class sizes as a shared endeavor between the Dean and a Department. Faculty may also suggest changes to class sizes. Such proposals should be “pedagogically sound, maintain quality, [and] meet the needs of students”. Any increase to class sizes which amount to an increased teaching workload must be bargained per Section 9.

Voluntary Retirement Incentive Program (VRIP)

WWU has received legislative approval for Washington state’s VRIP (voluntary retirement incentive program) but now needs to get approval from the state’s OFM (Office of Financial Management). Currently, the administration is putting together a budget and more detailed package of rules and requirements for approval and that may take several months to submit and authorize. It is expected, if approved by OFM, that the VRIP would apply for age- and time-in-service-eligible faculty planning to retire sometime between late fall 2025 and June 2026.

Reduced Appointments for Faculty

Per the CBA Section 7.4, faculty have always been able to reduce their appointments. If you are interested in a reduced appointment, make sure that Section 7.4.3. is upheld: “Changes may be permanent or of specified duration. In the case of permanent changes, the faculty member relinquishes the right to return to the original contract without the agreement of the department chair, dean, and Provost.

Program Directors and Course Releases

Per Section 22.7, the CBA states that all program directors receive “the appropriate stiped and/or release time in accordance with the responsibilities of each person” through deliberations with the Provost or dean. A stipend of at least $1,642 per quarter is granted to each program director and “in no case will the compensation given to program directors for the current level of responsibilities decrease.” If you have a contract that outlines a certain number of course releases per year, that contract needs to be honored for its duration. Once that contract is completed, the dean can renegotiate the director position with fewer course releases. If the status of the program itself changes (because it is closed, merged, or put in moratorium), the director position and its course releases would be removed or changed as well.

Additional Information and Perspectives

Western Academic Workers United had set a strike deadline of Wednesday, May 28. In the four days the strike authorization vote was open, 654 student employees voted to authorize a strike, while 39 voted against a strike, according to WAWU’s Instagram. The strike date came nearly a year after the union’s educational student employees negotiated for their own contract after a two-day strike, concluding eight months of contract negotiations.

“The reason why we're here, why we're doing this, is because we have majority,“ said Sierra Demerjian, a member of the OSE bargaining committee. “Whether or not they’re showing up today, whether or not they’re showing up in the days before or in the future, we’re here for them,” Wankowski said.

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