UWMC social workers announce unionization with SEIU 925

SEATTLE (May 19, 2022) — Social workers at the University of Washington Medical Center announced this week that they are joining together with SEIU 925 to improve their wages, working conditions and the essentials services they provide.

Here’s the announcement they made to their colleagues:

We, the Social Workers at the University of Washington Medical Center, are joining together to form a union with support from SEIU Local 925!

By using the strength of our united voice and the insight of our collective experience, WE CAN:

●  Win competitive compensation that respects our expertise and experience

●  Recruit and retain talented, diverse, and passionate medical social workers

●  Advocate for reasonable caseloads that gives us the time to build rapport with patients and families

●  Ensure we have the resources required in order to carry out complex and comprehensive plans

●  Demand respect for and action on our insights for decisions that impact our workflow and workplace

●  Guarantee we are at the table to have effective, organized, and proactive conversations about the systems we use to support our patients and families

●  Insist on transparency throughout UWMC to build trust between staff and Administration

WE CAN create an environment with clear pathways and manageable expectations for staff to achieve that ideal we have so often discussed but rarely attained. Things like unpaid extended workdays, absorbing roles that are not our own, and expanding our energy reserves to absorb gaps/absences makes other’s emergencies OUR current emergency.

Our goal for a union here at UWMC is to build on our current values of equity and high standards of care. Preemptive policies that give clarity and guidance as well as help in maintaining fair contracts in the evolving community is imperative. We envision a fairer, healthier, more productive, and more sustainable workspace through this union, which will equip us to better serve our patients, their families, and our own families.

SEIU 925 unites 17,000 people in Washington who work in education from early learning through higher education, as well as members who work in local government and nonprofits. We work together to provide quality education for children and students, to ensure that education remains a state priority, and to strengthen our workforce. We provide quality public services to our communities across the state.

Ready for a voice at work? Get more information about how you can join together with co-workers and negotiate a fair return for your hard work. Or go ahead and contact a union organizer today!

The Stand (Jan. 20) — Unions post big gains in Washington state — With an additional 72,000 workers joining the ranks last year, there are now an estimated 629,000 union members in Washington, making it the third most unionized state in the nation behind only Hawaii and New York.