SEATTLE — About 2,400 University of Washington researchers went on strike Wednesday after failing to reach agreements on their respective contracts.
The strike will “effectively grind research to a halt,” organizers said, given that striking postdoctoral researchers and research scientists and engineers are responsible for much of the work that grants UW its distinction as a top research institution.
The group of research scientists and engineers, represented by UAW Local 4121, has been in negotiations since August and joined efforts with their postdoctoral colleagues in October. While the groups have reached some tentative agreements with university officials, three core demands from the research scientists and engineers remain unmet.
The first demand is support for an inclusive workforce, which includes applying the same harassment prevention program for research scientist and engineers that’s available to postdoctoral and student employees.
The second demand is for child care, and the third for fair wages.
Fair wages are the biggest sticking point for postdoctoral researchers, organizers said. UW officials have held that the state’s minimum wage act does not apply to postdocs, according to union organizers.
Research scientists and engineers spend years earning their degrees and becoming experts in their respective fields, so it’s “disheartening” to see UW officials refuse to pay fair wages, said Ryan Will, a research scientist in laboratory medicine and pathology.
“As a father with young children, it’s nearly impossible to make ends meet on my pay as a research scientist at UW,” he said.
Several hundred people gathered at UW on Wednesday afternoon for a rally kicking off the strike. Several picket location were chosen, including:
- Northeast 45th Street and Memorial Way Northeast (southwest corner)
- 15th Avenue Northeast and West Stevens Way Northeast (northeast corner)
- Northeast Pacific Street and Montlake Boulevard Northeast (Montlake Triangle)
- Mercer Street (between 8th and 9th avenues North)
“We need to be making science more inclusive, not less, and a career in science more sustainable, not less,” Andrew Brown, a postdoc in philosophy, said in a statement.
UW officials should be leading in that area, not looking for “loopholes to exploit” and avoid paying postdoctoral researchers a living wage, Brown said.
Research scientists and engineers began bargaining with university officials in August and have held over 30 sessions. Postdocs have been bargaining since October.
About 6,000 UW academic student employees and graduate students working as research and teaching assistants pledged to respect the picket lines.
The priority has always been to ensure science at UW is sustainable and inclusive, said Rebecca Bluett, a UW postdoctoral scholar. That includes fair wages so “we can all afford rent, take care of our families and stay in the careers we love.”
“We love our research, but UW has left us no choice,” she said. “We will be striking until we get a fair contract.”
A UW spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
