ASEs get wage increase, improved health care

Academic student employees at the University of Washington ratified a new three-year contract that gives them wage increases and improved health care.

The 4,500 academic student employees (ASEs), members of UAW Local 4121 in Seattle, are teaching and research assistants, readers, graders, tutors and others doing similar work at the university.

“We were able to negotiate a number of improvements important to members in areas like health care, leaves and child care, while preserving critical rights and protections against layoff and excess workload that the university was trying to weaken,” said UAW Local 4121 President David Parsons. “Our bargaining committee was very pleased to recommend this agreement to our membership.”

The three-year agreement gives the ASEs minimum wage increases of 3.2 percent, 2.5 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, each year of the contract. Also, minimum hourly pay will increase by 15 percent to $9.75 an hour the first year and by 2.5 percent the next two years. Members ratified the agreement May 4.

“This contract builds on the solid framework from previous negotiations and will benefit members in ways they will be able to see right away,” said UAW Vice President Jimmy Settles, who directs servicing for the union’s Technical, Office and Professional Department.

“We are especially proud that we were able to obtain a strong economic package and secure health care improvements for our members,” said UAW Region 5 Director Jim Wells.

Also, the agreement provides for improvements in the health insurance plan for ASEs. The parties agreed to a preventive health and immunization plan which covers services 100 percent, eliminating both the quarterly deductible and the employee co-pay. The plan also provides for 100 percent lab services coverage and for increased mental health benefits.

"I was really pleased to see that, in addition to the positive additions to the health insurance plan, we were able to make a significant improvement to the minimum wage for hourly workers on campus,” said Ken Yasuhara, a Computer Science and Engineering research assistant.

The union also won an improved leave of absence policy, including a provision that allows ASEs to maintain full health insurance coverage while on unpaid family medical leave for up to 12 weeks.

Also in the agreement, the university must now give new ASEs union materials immediately upon hiring. In the past, the university was not required to do so.

Sandra Davis