January 26, 2024
As of 5pm today, WSU Academic Student Employees (ASEs) have overwhelmingly voted to ratify the Tentative Agreement as our first-ever union contract! With 99% voting YES (1,169 YES votes and 15 NO votes, amounting to approximately 68% voter turnout), this historic ratification vote will usher in life-changing improvements to ASE compensation, working conditions, and benefits at WSU.
This contract was made possible by the dedicated work of ASEs across all departments and campuses. Our collective power and solidarity has secured us a contract with significant wage increases, strong protections against harassment and discrimination, vital healthcare plan improvements, and so much more. Many of these new rights and protections will go into effect immediately, while others will be implemented at a later date as specified in the contract. For example, initial wage increases will go into effect within 90 calendar days of ratification and our experience-based pay steps will go into effect on August 16th, 2024; for more information about components of our contract that will be implemented at a later date, please review the PDF of the Tentative Agreement.
The Fight Ahead: It’s OUR union – me, you, and all our fellow ASEs make the magic happen. Over the coming months, ASEs will be signing up for membership in our union, crafting bylaws, and electing an executive board and department stewards — all while organizing our peers to familiarize each other with the new rights and protections guaranteed under the contract. Are you interested in ensuring ASEs in your department or on your campus are informed about the contract and improvements to our working conditions? Respond here or stay tuned for more information on how you can become a member and get involved!
This first contract is a huge victory for all ASEs at WSU and will greatly help address the recruitment and retention problem that the university has been facing. Be sure to take a moment to celebrate this achievement and please reach out in reply to this email if you have any questions.
In Solidarity,
WSU-CASE Bargaining Committee:
Acacia Patterson, Physics & Astronomy (Pullman)
Adam Bozman, Carson College of Business – Finance (Pullman)
Andre Diehl, Comparative Ethnic Studies (Pullman)
Arianna Gonzales, Psychology (Pullman)
Aurora Brinkman, Psychology (Pullman)
Chelsea Mitchell, School of the Environment (Puyallup Research and Extension Center)
Chia-Hui Chen, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (Spokane)
Claudia Skinner, School of Languages, Cultures, and Race (Pullman)
Cody Lauritsen, College of Veterinary Medicine (Pullman)
Dano Holt, School of the Environment (Pullman)
Evan Domsic, Crop and Soil Science (Mount Vernon NWREC)
Gavin Doyle, English (Pullman)
Hannah Cohen, Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Pullman)
Kartik Sreedhar, Physics & Astronomy (Pullman)
Kayla Spawton, Plant Pathology (Mount Vernon NWREC)
Kelsey King, School of Biological Sciences (Vancouver)
Miles Hopkins, School of the Environment (Pullman)
Miranda Zuniga-Kennedy, Clinical Psychology (Pullman)
Naseeha Cardwell, Chemical Engineering & Bioengineering (Pullman/Tri-Cities)
Natalie Yaw, Chemistry (Pullman)
Ninh Khuu, Plant Pathology (Prosser)
Peter Obi, Pharmaceutical Sciences (Spokane)
Raymond Bennett, Psychology (Pullman)
Rebecca Evans, Biology (Vancouver)
Shawn Domgaard, Communication (Pullman)
Tazin Rahman, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (Pullman)
Tholen Justin Blasko, Animal Sciences (Pullman)
Victor Moore, History (Pullman)
Victoria Oyanna, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (Spokane)
Whitney Shervey, Sociology (Pullman)
Yiran Guo, Mechanical and Materials Engineering (Pullman)