Negotiations Recap for September 17, 2014
This recap details the 12th session for the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement between the UW and WFSE for the 2015-17 contract term.
UW Proposals
UW provided counter-proposals and reiterated its position on several of WFSE’s proposals.
General Wage Increase – UW proposed general wage increases of 2 percent effective July 1, 2015, and a 2 percent effective July 1, 2016.
Minimum Pay Step Adjustment – UW proposed that any regular, non-hourly employee whose salary is less than $12 per hour be placed on a pay step that is at least $12 per hour.
Step Structure – UW’s proposal would allow for the pay table structure to remain as it is currently configured.
Market Wage Adjustments – UW proposed that several job titles receive pay range adjustments up to 80 percent of the market median.
Article 19: Training and Professional Development – UW declined WFSE’s proposal to expand applicability of the contract’s educational/professional leave language, in favor of current contract language.
Article 20: Licensure and Certification – UW declined WFSE’s proposal to allow for employees to fulfill continuing education unit requirements on work time at UW’s expense, in favor of current contract language.
Article 27: Holidays – UW declined WFSE’s proposal and withdrew its proposal to cite the legislation that provides two unpaid holidays for reason of faith or conscience, in favor of current contract language.
Article 28: Vacations – UW declined WFSE’s proposed expansion of the vacation accrual schedule and revisions to the vacation bidding process, in favor of current contract language.
Article 31: FMLA and Parental Leave – UW proposed language whereby employees receiving workers’ compensation time-loss benefits may elect to receive time-loss exclusively or a combination of time-loss and accrued leave (in the order of sick leave, then compensatory time, then vacation time before leave without pay).
Article 34: Inclement Weather and Suspended Operations – UW declined WFSE’s proposed revisions in favor of current contract language.
Article 40: Overtime – UW withdrew its proposal for overtime to be calculated only on time worked, in favor of current contract language.
Article 53: Commute Trip Reduction and Parking – In response to WFSE’s proposal, UW proposed language encouraging departments with continuous and/or public responsibility to consider employee requests for flexible schedules for commute trip reduction purposes. Approvals would be at the discretion of the employing official, and would depend on operating, business, and customer needs.
Tentative Agreements
The parties tentatively agreed to maintain current contract language for the following provisions:
- Article 26: Health & Safety
- Article 39: Hours of Work and Work Schedules
- Article 45: Promotions/Transfers
- Article 59: Trades Shop Stewards
Next Steps
The next UW-WFSE bargaining session is scheduled for September 23.