Outreach Guide & Template

Show your support for UAW 4121!

Now is a crucial time to let the University of Washington Board of Regents know that you support all Academic Student Employees. The Regents will discuss the next union contract on Thursday, May 13! There are three crucial ways you can show your suppor

1) Log on to the UW Board of Regents Zoom meeting and let them know the whole community is watching to see if the University is fair to its employees. Join the Zoom at 12:30pm PST on Thursday, May 13 at: https://washington.zoom.us/j/96774622532

2) Sign the UAW 4121 form letter to show the BoR your support here: http://tinyurl.com/4121solidarity

3) Write a letter to the Board for inclusion in the public record! Check out UAW4121’s template & guide here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q1c0vFUegh0YSUvraoQZPg-myEmFaK5ShuxYd9J9PSk/edit#heading=h.8i26qgge5k9j

UW Faculty Forward and UW AAUP Letter in Support of UAW 4121

9 May, 2021 

To our UW colleagues:

We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with the academic student employees (ASEs) in UAW 4121 who are currently negotiating with the UW administration for their next contract. 

The bargaining session now primarily concerns pay rate increases for ASEs. Current wages are projected to be 6% behind the median for next year. ASEs are requesting pay rate increases comparable to the University of California, which has agreed to 3% raises each year for the next three years. The UW, however, has only offered 2% for the first year and 3% for the following 2 years. 

Such raises, we contend, are necessary to allow ASEs to maintain their quality of life in one of the nation’s most expensive cities. Since January alone, Seattle rents have risen 9%. 

Given that UW saw a $343 million increase in its net position in 2020 according to its own annual report, we believe this is a reasonable request.

The UW has additionally declined to expand EPIC: Empowering Prevention & Inclusive Communities, a peer-based program to prevent sexual harassment and gender discrimination. 

With the climate of pervasive discrimination and harassment on university campuses, we also believe this expansion is reasonable and necessary.

In supporting our ASEs, this letter seeks to counter the narrative, frequently put forward by the administration, that faculty are either uninterested in the contract represented or in alignment with the administration position. Neither is the case. ASEs are our colleagues, students, and advisees, and are a vital part of the institution. 

We stand with our UAW 4121 colleagues and encourage the administration to bargain in good faith and accept their demands.

Executive Board, UW Chapter of Association of American University Professors

Steering Committee, UW Faculty Forward

Individuals can also sign the petition at: https://bit.ly/DecrimUWind

I would also be grateful if you let our university administration know why this is important

Who can you share your thoughts with:

Things you can tweet / write share with administrators about why UW should decriminalize to be a better neighbor:

  • UWPD must stop criminalizing people experiencing houselessness in the U District!
  • UW should redirect the millions of dollars it spends every year on policing towards education and mental health for Black students
  • Partner organizations do not want to attend events on the Seattle campus that have plainclothes officers and/or local law enforcement agencies (such as cops as private contractors). For communities of color, this makes our campus dangerous and unwelcoming.
  • UW’s Student Life budget should go to student life! Now more than ever we need funding to pay our Black and Indigenous community leaders to share knowledge with our students.
  • (Or whatever your important reason is for why UW should be a good neighbor)