Western Washington University has reached a tentative agreement with the union representing academic student workers after a two-day strike.
The union went on strike on Tuesday morning after eight months of bargaining with Western over a first contract. Workers picketed from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday this week at entrances to campus, calling for higher wages and a fair contract.
On Wednesday night, the union, Western Academic Workers United (WAWU), posted on Instagram that the strike was over and an agreement had been reached. The 1,100 employees, who fill teaching and research positions on campus, unionized in June 2023.
“Because of the actions of all of us standing together, we do not have to return to the picket line tomorrow morning and can instead go to bed knowing that we have just won a historic first contract that will make waves across higher education for generations to come!!” the union posted. “… We are so excited to get back to work on campus tomorrow to the jobs we love and the students we serve!”
The tentative agreement includes “unprecedented” wage increases, tuition assistance for student employees, bereavement leave, protections against discrimination and harassment, holiday pay and paid trainings, according to WAWU.
Jaime Blais, a biology teaching assistant and a member of WAWU’s bargaining committee, said Thursday, May 23 the tentative contract increases the undergraduate hourly minimum wage to $19 in January 2025, and the graduate stipend from $1,700 to $2,008 a month.
The tentative agreement also includes a new tuition assistance program, under which workers would be eligible for up to $500 a quarter to offset tuition costs, dependent on how many hours they work. However, the program needs funding from the Legislature, so WAWU hopes to work with Western to obtain that next year, Blais said.
“It’s never been done before and opens the door for other student employee contracts,” Blais said. “We’ve really just built the framework for tuition assistance for working college students.”
Blais said a big win in the process was convincing Western to drop a 30-day probationary period for student employees.
“We believe this is a direct result of hundreds of educational student employees leaving our picket lines [yesterday] and going to the president’s office and speaking with him about probation,” Blais said. “A few hours later, … we were told they were going to drop the probation article.”
In an email to the community on Thursday morning, President Sabah Randhawa wrote that the agreement will now require approval from WAWU members and Western’s Board of Trustees.
Randhawa thanked the student employees that represented WAWU in the bargaining process.
“Your commitment to advocating for your fellow students has been truly commendable,” he wrote. “Your active participation in such matters is a reminder not only of your dedication but also reinforces the reputation of WWU students as engaged and compassionate citizens.”
Randhawa also thanked staff and faculty who wrote to him about the importance of agreeing to a “fair and equitable contract.”
WAWU had requested other staff and faculty to not cross the picket line and “withhold their own paid labor” from Western during the strike.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
