WSU/UAW ASE Negotiations
Open Articles
No current open articles.
Tentative Agreements
- Accommodations
- Anti (Non)-discrimination and Harassment
- Appointment and Reappointment Notification
- Child and Dependent Care
- Discipline
- Duration
- Fees and Tuition Waiver
- Grievance and Arbitration
- Health and Safety
- Health Insurance
- Health Insurance Appendix 1
- Holidays
- Housing
- Immigration
- Intellectual Property
- Job Postings
- Job Titles
- Layoffs
- Leaves
- Management Rights
- No Strike No Lockout
- Parking and Transit
- Personnel Files
- Professional Development and Career Counseling
- Recognition
- Respectful Work Environment/ Workplace Behavior
- Retirement Savings
- Scope and Interpretation
- Severability
- Sexual Harassment and Prevention Training (EPIC)
- Summer Session
- Title IX
- Training
- Travel
- Union-Management Committee
- Union Rights
- Union Security
- V-CAP
- Vacation
- Wages
- Workload
- Workspace Materials
September 13, 2023
WSU and the ASE opened negotiation on February 22, 2023. As of September 13, 2023 the parties have met 23 times and passed over 40 Articles back and forth. We have tentative agreements on 13 Articles including: Personnel Files, Recognition, Severability, Union Security, Intellectual Property, Health and Safety, Travel, Job Postings, Training, Union – Management Committee, Retirement Saving, V-CAP, Workspace Materials. Four more Articles were agreed upon on September 13, 2023, and are pending formal tentative agreement. While WSU does not post current proposals, WSU-CASE identifies they do. WSU has not reviewed nor can verify actual or all proposals on this site are accurate and up to date. Please contact Labor Relations at hrs.labor@wsu.edu.
We are close on a number of Articles but remain far apart on others. While there is no way to predict how long the current negotiations will last, we are hopeful to continue to engage as parties are available. Historically, some Contracts are negotiated in a matter of weeks, some take months, and others take well over a year.
Once a Contract is agreed upon and ratified, the University as a whole is responsible for adhering to the provisions of the Contract.
Subject Matter Expert presentations and materials
In addition to standard bargaining, WSU engaged subject matter experts to provide overview of policies, procedures and current state of programs to our groups.
On May 24, 2023, Chris Boyan, Director for Transportation Services and Cody Wilson, Associate Director of Operations for Transportation Services, attended at the UAW’s request to provide information related to transportation options at WSU. Mr. Boyan and Mr. Wilson presented an overview of Transportation Services.
On May 9, 2023, Kelley Westoff, Executive Director for Budget, Planning, & Analysis, Joel Schwartzkopf, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and Kelly Chavez, Brown & Brown Insurance representative, joined the team to discuss health care.
On April 3, 2023, Kelley Westoff, Executive Director for Budget, Planning, & Analysis, joined the team to provide a budget presentation to the groups, as well as the current state of the University budget.
Overview Q&A
How are Contracts negotiated?
Representatives from the university and the union (“bargaining teams”) meet to negotiate the terms of an agreement. During these negotiations, both sides discuss Contract-related issues and present proposals and counter proposals. State law requires that both sides engage in good-faith negotiations to try to resolve any differences and work to reach an agreement in a timely manner.
How will the UAW Contract impact the newly covered employees?
Although it is unknown what will become part of the Contract, the University and the Union are required to negotiate mandatory subjects, which include wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment.
How long does bargaining take/how long until a contract/an impact?
There is no way to predict this. Some Contracts have been negotiated in a matter of weeks while others have taken several months to complete. In some cases, negotiations have taken more than a year. For more specifics on the collective bargaining process, please visit the Labor Relations Collective Bargaining Frequently Asked Questions page.
How will this impact their wages/my budget/funding?
While represented employees’ wages are typically determined by the Contract they are covered under, there is no way of knowing what may be negotiated between the University and the Union. Funding for any agreed upon compensation will be funded in the same manner the employees are currently funded.
How will I know how to manage the new Contract?
Once the parties reach tentative agreement, the Contract will be posted on the WSU/UAW website. HRS will work with the Graduate School and other central offices to create and provide materials, guidance and trainings for members of the University. Labor Relations will partner with managers and supervisors in understanding and administering the terms of the new Contract.
WSU Negotiations Team
| Rodney Younker | Labor and Employment Attorney | WSU Chief Negotiator |
| Kendra Hsieh | Labor Relations Officer | WSU Chief Negotiator |
| Tammy Barry | Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education | Graduate School Primary |
| Greg Crouch | Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Academic Programs | Graduate School Alternate |
| Haluk Beyenal | Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies | College of Engineering and Architecture Primary |
| David Bollinger | Director of Voiland Research and Grad Programs | College of Engineering and Architecture Alternate |
| Scot Hulbert | Associate Dean for Research & Interim Agricultural Research Center Director | CAHNRS Primary |
| Todd Murray | Director of the Puyallup Research and Extension Center | CAHNRS Secondary |
| Christine Portfors | Vice Chancellor | Vancouver Campus Primary |
| Celestina Barbosa-Leiker | Vice Chancellor for Research | Spokane Campus, WSU Health Sciences Primary |
| Courtney Meehan | Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies | College of Arts and Sciences Primary |
| Catherine Cooper | Associate Dean, Faculty | College of Arts and Sciences Primary |
| Jessa Latawiec | Labor Relations Assistant | Human Resource Services |