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UW librarians announce second strike if deal isn’t reached

By Amanda Zhou, The Seattle Times
Published: January 13, 2023, 7:27am

SEATTLE — University of Washington librarians and staff are calling for a second strike on Jan. 25 if a contract agreement with the university isn’t reached by then.

Members of Service Employees International Union Local 925, which has about 130 librarians and press workers, said at Thursday’s UW Board of Regents quarterly meeting that librarians and staff will strike if negotiations continue to stall.

There are 180 librarians and press workers who are eligible for the union, which was certified in June 2021. In October, more than 50 librarians at all three UW campuses picketed outside the main campus in Seattle, and in November, members authorized the bargaining team to call an “open-ended strike” if necessary.

Union members say they are seeking better wages and transparency over how salaries are calculated.

UW Bothell research and instruction librarian Chelsea Nesvig said while progress has been made since the one-day strike in October, UW and the members have not come to an agreement on compensation.

“This is our first contract. We need to get it is as strong as possible, because it will affect future contracts,” she said.

Nesvig said UW has not offered enough money to meet Seattle’s cost of living or to prevent the department from “hemorrhaging staff.” Around 30 eligible members of the union have left since the union started bargaining in October 2021, she said.

Before Thursday’s announcement, UW spokesperson Victor Balta said the university had requested a mediator to join negotiations and that tentative agreements have been reached on 45 aspects of the contract.

“The UW continues to negotiate in good faith with the librarians and we are hopeful that we will reach agreement on a fair contract as soon as possible,” he said.

According to UW, the university and the union have had over eight bargaining sessions and more than 34 total meetings since the October strike. The last meeting was Jan. 10 and the next bargaining session is scheduled for Jan. 24. The strike authorization was approved at 94% in November.

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