SEATTLE — Union staff at the University of Washington Libraries and Press reached a tentative agreement with the administration early Wednesday, avoiding a strike scheduled to start just three hours later.
Members of Service Employees International Union Local 925, which has about 130 librarians and press workers, were prepared to strike at 9 a.m., taking a stand against what they say are low wages and tactics by the university to stall contract negotiations.
Organizers shifted a rally scheduled for noon Wednesday at Red Square to a celebration rather than a strike rally.
Two Public Employment Relations Commission mediators were present at Wednesday’s negotiations, UW spokesperson Victor Balta said.
“Librarians and staff at UW Libraries, and their colleagues at UW Press, do an excellent job, and the university values their work. This process was always about reaching a fair and equitable contract, and we are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement,” he said.
The SEIU 925 bargaining team reached an agreement with the university around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday after a marathon 21-hour bargaining session and over a year of contract negotiations.
“It took 38 bargaining sessions over 16 months, but we finally reached an agreement,” said Tricia Schroeder, president of SEIU 925.
More than 50 librarians at all three UW campuses picketed outside the main campus in Seattle in October. In November, members authorized the bargaining team to call an “open-ended strike” if necessary. Earlier this month, UW librarians and staff called for a strike if a contract wasn’t reached by Jan. 25.
“Nobody wanted to go on strike, but they were willing to do it to prove they know what they’re worth,” Schroeder said.
The bargaining team will work on preparing drafts of the contract for members to review.
According to UW, agreements about appointments, performance evaluations, rankings and promotions, compensation packages and more were negotiated. SEIU and the university declined to provide further details about contract agreements. In October, Balta said a 16.5% total salary increase and changing the definition of a full-time workweek to 30 hours were part of active negotiations.
