The AFT executive council passed a special resolution May 23 to express "profound disappointment" with the progress of negotiations between the United Faculty of Western Washington and the Western Washington University administration. The UFWW, a unit of 750 full-time and nontenure-track faculty, voted for union representation and joint affiliation with the AFT and NEA in February 2006, and has been negotiating for a first contract since January 2007.

Negotiations hit stalemate in February of this year. Both sides agreed to bring in a Washington Public Employment Relations Commission mediator with the goal of a settlement by summer, when the university's president is stepping down. Even with that assistance, however, talks broke down May 21 after 14 hours of negotiation.

The three outstanding issues are binding arbitration on workload, a grievance procedure and salary, according to UFWW president Bill Lyne. While the UFWW bargaining team was able to negotiate acceptable workload language, says Lyne, the university insists that workload be excluded from the grievance process. The union is seeking an unbiased binding arbitration process similar to what the university has agreed to with its other campus unions. As to pay, Western faculty salaries are in the 30th percentile of peer institutions, and the administration and board of trustees have long maintained the intention to bring those up to the 75th percentile. The university's offer, however, barely keeps the faculty where they are—in the bottom third.

"This administration has always been resistant to the union," AFT vice president Sandra Schroeder explained to fellow AFT executive council members before they voted on the resolution. She is president of AFT Washington. Phil Kugler, assistant to the AFT president for organization and field services, added that the university has employed the services of a union-busting law firm.

"I don't think the university has an understanding of how much damage their untenable position is doing to this institution," says Lyne.

The full text of the resolution is as follows:

"The AFT executive council expresses profound disappointment about the poor progress of the negotiations of the first faculty contract at Western Washington University. We encourage the trustees and administration to do all they can to facilitate a positive resolution to the talks for the good of the faculty, students and the entire college community."

May 23, 2008