SEIU 925 newsletter
Vol II
SEIU 925 members preparing to talk to legislators about funding our contract at 2017 UW Lobby Day
We Turned The Capitol Purple!
On Presidents Day UW employees showed up
in record numbers in Olympia to tell legislators
to support our contract and fully fund
education in Washington State.
On our day off over 200 people helped make
our SEIU 925 presence known at the state
Capitol - and we turned it purple!
We were joined by a large number of our SEIU
925 sisters in Family Child Care. Like us, they
stood together and bargained a strong contract
with the state that legislators now need to fund.
By standing with them in Olympia this week, we
sent a powerful message that our state needs
to invest in education from birth to graduation.
But we cant fund early learning, K-12, and
higher education by taking resources away from
healthcare, public safety, or the environment.
The Legislature needs to hold corporations
Save The Date: April
Well be back in Olympia
www.SEIU925.org | (206) 322-3010
No. 2
MAR/APR 2017
accountable by closing outdated tax loopholes
and raising new revenue.
Funding for our contract was included in both
the Governor and House of Representatives
budget proposals, but we need to keep the
pressure on.
Currently the Republican controlled Senates
budget proposal doesnt include funding for our
contract.
Its going to take all of us to make sure our
contract gets funded. Over the next few weeks
we will need to continue making calls, writing
emails, and going down to Olympia to make
sure our elected officials get the message: they
need to fund our contract.
Stay tuned for opportunities to call and email
your legislators about our contract.
20

We Made A Difference
On Tuesday, February 21st, the Seattle City
Council unanimously approved an Upzone
plan to redevelop the University District. UW
employees had many concerns about the
impact accelerated development would have on
the affordability of transit, housing, and child
care.
Dozens of SEIU 925 and WFSE 1488 members
testified at City Council hearings to urge
councilmembers to make the U District more
affordable for workers and residents.
We made a difference! Our stories about
struggling with skyrocketing transportation
costs, child care, and housing had a strong
impact on City Council.
The Uzone legislation contains a requirement
that developers include affordable apartments
in their projects or pay to help the city build
them elsewhere.
Uniting To Face Challenges: Possible Layoffs in Payroll
The new payroll and leave system (HRP) is supposed
to come online this summer.
What we dont know is what that means for job
security; lots of SEIU 925 members responsibilites
touch payroll at UW.
Last summer during negotiations for the new
contract, our bargaining committee asked if any
employees would be negatively impacted by the new
system, particularly in regard to possible layoffs. We
were told last year that only central payroll in the
Tower would be effected.
That has turned out to be untrue. Over the last three
weeks we have learned that:
Medical Center Payroll staff in the Pat Steel
Building were told that some of them would be laid off in
July.
The Facilities payroll team was told that between
50 and 75% of them would be laid sometime after
December.
When we demanded to know about possible layoffs,
UW management grudgingly told us they did not
know what the impact might be.
www.SEIU925.org | (206) 322-3010
We also won changes to the Upzone legislation
that:
Mandate a 50% minimum employer transit
subsidy (including the UPASS) in new medium and
large commercial and residential buildings in the
Upzone area, including the UWs planned tower
above the new Light Rail station.
Call for a City study of multi-employer child
care voucher programs, which could bring down
the cost of childcare.
Require an extensive study on housing
displacement which, for the first time, will include a
racial analysis of displacement.
Require that developer payments for
affordable housing in the U District Upzone be
prioritized for building affordable housing in the
same neighborhood.
Defeated a UW-requested amendment
to increase the floor sizes in the UWs planned
Innovation Center high-rise building. This
amendment would have given the UW a special
deal for more square footage (and more income
from corporate tenants) in their building.
Congratulations to all the SEIU 925
members who raised our voices on behalf of
workers and residents in the U District!
Next up is the UWs proposed 2018 Master
Plan, which could increase the UWs campus
footprint by up to one-third! Many SEIU 925
members have already testified at Master Plan
hearings, insisting that any UW expansion
be done equitably, which includes helping
employees with the rising cost of living. Stay
tuned for more information and ways to get
involved!
We also found out that no instructions had been
given to departments about how to assign changed
work, opening to door to take work away from union
members to protect managers jobs. When we look
at the list of employees it also becomes clear that
many laid off people will be our immigrant co-
workers.
Every year, UW hires hundreds of new support and
fiscal staff. There is plenty of opportunity to place
people without disrupting their lives. It is also the
right thing to do!
Our union has advanced very simple proposals:
1. Departments must be instructed by the President
and Provost not to take work away from union members.
2. Where there will be legitimate layoffs,
departments should be give employees and the union at
least 6 months advanced notice of who will be impacted.
3. Hold vacant jobs until the impacted workers
are placed in positions they are qualified for, including
offering training to help people transition.
We need to unite and protect each other. Please get
involved: talk to your union rep about how.
Remember, we are stronger when we stand together!