Western Washington University’s Operational Student Employees filed to unionize on Wednesday, Dec. 13.
There are 1,100 operational student employees, and they include program support staff, recreation assistants, clerks, laborers, lifeguards, resident advisors, assistants, attendees, publication editors and more, according to a press release from Western Academic Workers United – UAW. Employees filed Wednesday to form a union at the Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission and delivered a letter to Western’s president to request recognition for the union.
Operational student employees at Western have been struggling with “low and late pay, unsafe work environments, unpredictable schedules, and the need for a voice at work,” prompting the unionization efforts, according to a news release.
“We are really excited to have collected so much support for our union in just a few months,” Kaylee Thomas, a student employee in the University Advancement Office, said in the release. “It’s a testament to how urgent the need for our union is. We hope Western won’t put up any delays so that we can get to bargaining and address the issues we face like low pay and a lack of safety measures and training.”
This is the second group of student employees to file for unionization at Western in the last year. Last December, Western’s educational student employees filed to unionize, and in April, successfully earned the right to bargain. In June, the employees formed a union. They’re currently bargaining with the university for their first contract.
Educational student employees include tutors, teaching assistants, research assistants and other students who do academic and research work at the university.
