Photo courtesy WSU-CASE/UAW
Academic Student Employees at all WSU campuses across the state went on strike Wednesday. A tentative agreement was promptly reached the same day.
After nearly a year of negotiating and a less-than-daylong strike, Washington State University and the WSU Coalition of Academic Student Employees have finally come to a tentative agreement.
The university and the UAW-supported union had already agreed on about 80% of the union's asks, but things like healthcare, wages, parental leave and tuition fee waivers were at a standstill. However, after union members began to strike on Wednesday, WSU made a few last-minute concessions that finally secured an agreement.
"Through their determination and mass collective action, Academic Student Employees at Washington State University enshrined their rights at work for the first time ever," Director of UAW Region 6 Mike Miller stated in an announcement about the deal. "Their contract paves the way for a stronger, more equitable workplace for current and future ASEs at WSU, and for academic workers everywhere."
Here are the university's final concessions, if the agreement is approved:
WAGES
Academic Student Employees (ASE) in Pullman can begin to expect a minimum monthly salary of $2,318, which increased by about 39% from $1,670. Employees at other campuses can expect wages to be adjusted for the regional cost of living. So in Spokane, the minimum monthly salary sits at $2,485. Those ASEs who already make more than the proposed minimum salary can expect at least a 5% increase.
The ASEs who are paid hourly in Pullman will also see an increase of their minimum wages to $17.09 per hour, which is about $1 more than WSU offered in September negotiations. A maximum hourly wage of $39.50 was also set.
WSU also plans to implement an "experience-based step increase" for ASE wages, starting in August.
FEES & PARENTAL LEAVE
Salaried ASEs working at least part-time will be guaranteed "tuition remission" as part of this agreement. WSU will also begin waiving the building fee in the fall 2025 semester, which amounts to a little less than $200, depending on which campus a student works at.
While WSU had previously offered five weeks of paid parental leave, the new agreement would offer six weeks.
HEALTHCARE
Some minor changes were made when it comes to ASE's health insurance, however, part of the agreement allows the union the right to continue negotiating for further improvements to the 2024-25 and 2025-26 health plans.
Right now though, this tentative agreement decreases the cost of in-network deductibles from $500 to $300 and out-of-network deductibles from $1,000 to $300.
The agreement will go to all bargaining members for an online vote to approve the deal from Jan. 19-25.
