Western Academic Workers United has set a strike deadline of Wednesday, May 28. If Western Washington University administration does not meet the union’s demands, including bargaining rights, the student union’s operational student employees will begin picketing that morning.
The union voted on the strike deadline date at a meeting on May 12, after 94% of the OSEs who participated in the strike authorization vote did so in favor of a strike.
In the four days the strike authorization vote was open, 654 student employees voted to authorize a strike, while 39 voted against a strike, according to WAWU’s Instagram. In total, there are about 1,200 OSEs on campus.
In an email response to WAWU’s letter detailing its strike authorization voting results, President Sabah Randhawa agreed to meet with WAWU organizers, though in it there are no mentions of an intent to discuss OSE’s bargaining rights. WAWU organizer Erin Magarro said they are working to schedule a time to speak next week.
Western’s administration has maintained on many accounts, including in a May 13 email sent by Joyce Lopes, the vice president of Business and Financial Affairs, that it will not recognize the operational student employees as a bargaining body without state legislation backing this recognition.
The strike date comes nearly a year after the union’s educational student employees negotiated for their own contract after a two-day strike, concluding eight months of contract negotiations. Unlike ESEs, the OSEs are heading into the strike deadline without recognition.
OSE bargaining committee member Carson Henrich said that ideally, the administration would sit down with union members and write a contract before they decide to strike.
Henrich said WAWU’s goal is not to strike but rather to pressure the administration to recognize OSEs as an entity with bargaining power.
“We’re simply asking to be taken seriously,” said Willow Giorgini, OSE bargaining committee member.
Picket line activities would go from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. every school day of the strike. On weekends, there would be no picket line, but student employees would still not work.
OSEs will have an info picket in Red Square on Wednesday, May 21, one week before the potential strike, to answer questions and spread the message regarding a potential strike.
The impact of striking students would be felt from all corners of campus.
The Child Development Center, which provides childcare to students and employees at Western, has 30 student employees, Ringham said. She said close to 80% of those students participated in the strike authorization vote, all voting in favor of a strike.
The strike would also begin the week leading up to Super Awesome Fest, a music festival put on by Western’s Arts & Music Productions. OSEs are the primary facilitators of this event.
The Club Hub’s annual club awards ceremony, another event with heavy OSE involvement, takes place the day a potential strike would commence.
Students at the Viking Union’s info desk, resident advisors and students who work at the Wade King Student Recreation Center are all examples of operational student employees.
It is unclear how a strike would impact building hours.
At the May 12 meeting, some student employees expressed guilt for withholding their labor, but WAWU organizers told the OSEs to shift that energy to the administration.
“Don’t be upset at you. Be upset at the people who are making you not come to the job that you love to do,” Ringham said.
When student employees expressed concern over administrative retaliation at the mass meeting, WAWU organizers emphasized the power of high strike participation.
“The reason why we're here, why we're doing this, is because we have majority,“ said Sierra Demerjian, a member of the OSE bargaining committee. “We would not be doing this if we thought the risk outweighed the benefit.”
Frances Wankowski, a first-year student and English Department front desk attendant, said he was not surprised by the vote’s supermajority, as he has seen the results of WAWU’s networking efforts play out over his months of organizing with WAWU.
He welcomed those who have not organized with WAWU before to participate in the potential upcoming actions.
“Whether or not they’re showing up today, whether or not they’re showing up in the days before or in the future, we’re here for them,” Wankowski said. “We’re happy to have anyone at any point.”
Hailey LeRoy (she/he/they) is a campus news reporter for The Front. She is a third-year environmental journalism major. Outside of the newsroom, you can find her skating with the Bellingham Roller Betties, singing choral music, or perfecting elaborate eyeshadow looks. You can reach them at haileyleroy.thefront@gmail.com.
