Sign on to the Initial Bargaining Demands

We, Research Scientist / Engineers A-4 at the University of Washington, present the following demands to ensure a fair and equitable workplace. These demands are based on bargaining surveys completed by a majority of Research Scientist / Engineers A-4. Our demands for our collective bargaining agreement include, but are not limited to, the following:

Support successful career paths for Researchers

• Ensure a timely and transparent process for appointments, reappointments, performance reviews, and promotions.
• Improve access to career development resources, dissemination and teaching opportunities, independent research programs, PI opportunities and training, and support Researchers in establishing independent research programs.
• Guarantee Researchers proper credit, pay, and support for all job duties including authorship, service, grant writing, training, and mentoring, and control over the dissemination of their research.
• Support research programs by providing funding continuity and other policies that promote Researcher retention.

Improve pay and benefits to reflect the value of Researchers’ work

• Ensure pay structures are competitive, equitable, and reflect Researcher experience and contributions to UW and account for high regional cost of living.
• Ensure all Researchers have affordable, accessible, and equitable health care options.
• Provide flexible, guaranteed, and transparent access to paid vacation, sick, and personal days, as well as medical, family, and other leaves of absence.
• Improve access to all university facilities and programs, including subsidized housing, transit, car and bike parking, and tuition.

Build an inclusive, accessible, equitable, and diverse research community at UW

• Establish strong and meaningful protections against discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying, retaliation, and ethics violations.
• Ensure equity and antiracism efforts in organizational culture, policies, procedures, programs, and institutional practices to create safe and respectful work environments for Researchers.
• Ensure recruitment, hiring, and retention of a diverse workforce.
• Develop programs to support Researchers in identifying how to prevent and respond to discrimination and sexual harassment.
• Improve childcare and family caregiving support, subsidies, flexible scheduling, and other family-friendly policies.
• Increase stability for international Researchers via timely visa processing and support for transitioning to permanent residency, full coverage of all visa and immigration-related costs, no loss of pay during visa processing, and the option to elect their visa type.
• Improve transparency around remote and flexible work policy for Researchers.

Foster a safe, fair, and productive work environment

• Provide all necessary workspaces and materials, guarantee free and transparent health and safety protection, training and equipment, and ensure a reasonable workload.
• Establish just cause protections against unfair discipline and dismissal, as well as establish a fair and timely grievance procedure and access to neutral, binding arbitration.
• Allow for performance of all union representation duties including ensuring all new Researchers receive a union orientation.