Strike averted at UW Libraries and Press

With 3 hours until strike, tentative agreement reached in marathon negotiations

The following is from SEIU Local 925:

SEATTLE (Jan. 25, 2023) — With three hours left until workers were scheduled to show up at strike lines, union staff at the University of Washington Libraries and Press reached a tentative agreement with the university administration early this morning. Librarians and UW Press staff will not go on strike, and will report to work today as usual.

After a marathon bargaining session that lasted about 21 hours straight, the union and employer bargaining teams reached a deal around 5:30 a.m.

“It took 38 bargaining sessions over 16 months, but we finally reached an agreement,” said Tricia Schroeder, President of SEIU 925, the union representing UW Libraries and Press staff. “Nobody wanted to go on strike, but they were willing to do it to prove they know what they’re worth.”

Ratification details have yet to be ironed out; the team will first work on preparing drafts of the contract for members to review.

The scheduled noon rally in Red Square will still move forward, though it will be a celebration instead of a strike rally.

Employees of the University of Washington Libraries and Press formed a union in June 2021 and had been in negotiations with the University for a first contract ever since.

SEIU 925 unites 17,000 people in Washington who work in education from early learning through university, as well as local government and nonprofits.