UWHA and UW Labor Relations (LR) met for the thirteenth bargaining session on October 31st. Articles 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 25 were discussed.
In the current counter proposal on Article 5 (Dues Deduction, Fair Share, and UWHA Membership), UWHA included language that if the employer incorrectly deducts dues from an employee who is no longer part of the bargaining unit, they would be responsible for reimbursing the funds. This has been an ongoing issue. UW HR has claimed to have fixed the issue of incorrectly deducting dues and removed a number of individuals this was happening to, as of the most recent period. There was also language to clarify how applicants applying to residency and new hires would be notified of the unions existence.
Articles 10-15 cover an array of Leave topics. UWHA proposed language updates to all. Most notably, Article 13 covers pregnancy accommodations, and UWHA continues to propose expanding the protections to pregnant residents and fellows. Additionally, UWHA continues to assert that a fourth week of vacation is vital in reducing resident burnout and to make UW more competitive with the 75% of residency programs across the country that already offer a minimum of four weeks of paid vacation. LR has asserted this would constitute a large administrative burden. UWHA requested a counter proposal to our ask of 4 weeks of vacation as LR has had 3 months to already prepare a counter proposal however they stated they were still “working on it” and could not guarantee when their counter proposal would be ready.
UWHA continued the conversation on Article 25 (Transportation) from the last bargaining session, regarding the Safe Ride Home program. Many peer institutions have no questions asked safe ride home programs to ensure resident safety, irregardless of the time of day of the trip. LR has concerns about the program being abused by individuals; however, UWHA has shown data that is not the case at peer institutions who have expanded this benefit to be more inclusive. There were minor changes regarding shuttles, and UPASS.
The next bargaining session is scheduled for Monday, November 4th from 3:00-7:00pm at Roosevelt Commons West, Rm. 271. UWHA urges all members to attend.
Resident & fellow physician union - northwest/CIR/SEIU 