Bargaining News - Faculty
June 13 , 2008
The Board of Trustees ratified the Faculty Contract on June 13, 2008.
The Western Washington University administration and the United Faculty of Western
Washington (UFWW) have reached a collective bargaining agreement. The UFWW
membership voted 98% in favor of ratifying the contract. The Board of Trustees ratified
the contract at its regular meeting on June 13. The final contract is published here and
on the Human Resources Labor Relations website.
WWU, Faculty Union Reach Tentative Agreement
May 29, 2008
"I am pleased to announce that the Western Washington University administration bargaining team and the UFWW bargaining team have reached a tentative agreement on a first contract," said Western President Karen W. Morse. "I especially thank representatives of both teams who worked on this diligently since last Thursday. This agreement is beneficial to all while making progress on shared strategic goals for Western. We look forward to partnering with the UFWW as we move into the future."
"The trustees are pleased that the bargaining teams have come together to reach a tentative agreement, which will be reviewed by the UFWW membership and the trustees," said Kevin Raymond, chair of the WWU Board of Trustees.
The agreement includes:
- A one-time bonus of 4 percent on 2007-2008 base pay, which will be paid to all qualified faculty;
- A 10.5 percent increase in salary for all qualified faculty beginning September 2008;
- Merit pay of $4,000 for 9 percent of the tenured and tenure-track faculty.
"Faculty are at the heart of Western's commitment to engaged excellence. We are pleased to have found common ground in a fair contract that is supported by both bargaining teams," said Eileen Coughlin, administration bargaining team member. "Following ratification, we are ready to work together on the implementation of this contract."
The agreement also includes:
- On disciplinary action, an appeal process with final authority in a seven-member committee with three members appointed by the Board of Trustees and three by the UFWW. The committee will be chaired by a person jointly selected by the UFWW president and the Board of Trustees chair. The committee chair will convene and chair the committee and will vote in the case of a tie;
- A 10 percent increase in department chair stipends;
- A new category of senior instructor with a 7 percent increase in compensation upon advancement;
- Binding arbitration on contract interpretation.