PULLMAN, Wash. — The Washington Federation of State Employees and the
Washington State University Board of Regents have signed an agreement to
amend and extend the WFSE bargaining unit contracts for a two-year period.
This is the first step toward the long-term goal of a consolidated master
contract for all WFSE non-supervisory bargaining units.
The master contract will unify provisions that are similar for all classified
employees covered by labor contracts. However, it will allow for special
consideration of articles that may be bargaining-unit specific. Letters of
agreement or a special addendum to the master contract may address these.
Since the implementation of the All-Bargaining-Unit Ad Hoc
Labor/Management Committee, the university and union have been able to
consider and address numerous improvements in existing university policies
and to develop new policies, said Doris Lohery-Birch, chief steward of
Bargaining Unit 9 and a member of the ad hoc committee. “The policy changes
affect multiple units in a much more timely manner and with greater employee
input. Both parties agree that this consolidated approach to problem solving
and issue resolution has been very productive.”
The university and WFSE have agreed to a limited negotiation in September
for bargaining units two (service areas) and three (trades and crafts) regarding
several articles that both parties would like to review.
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