LOCAL
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.
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.