Note: This message was sent to all WSU faculty system-wide on December 7, 2023.

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

Earlier this week, members of the Academic Student Employees (ASE) marched to the French Administration Building on the WSU Pullman campus and requested time with me to discuss the continued negotiations and their ongoing concerns.  I was pleased to meet with them and invited Executive Vice President Leslie Brunelli and a few members from my Provost’s Office leadership team to join the discussion.

As I indicated during the discussion with them and will continue to emphasize, our academic student employees are essential to the efficient and effective functioning of departments and schools throughout the WSU system.  Recruiting and retaining graduate student employees and ensuring their success is critical to our mission as a land-grant, research university and is in alignment with our values as an institution.

WSU is sincere in its efforts to come to a mutually acceptable resolution with the ASE, represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW).  The Provost’s Office as well as many others around the WSU system have been engaged to address the breadth of matters associated with establishing a new Contract for the represented group of graduate and certain undergraduate student employees.

The parties have met for regular bargaining thirty times since negotiations began and over ten times for special subject discussion and bargaining, especially in the last few weeks.  WSU has offered to continue to meet with the UAW and subject matter experts through the coming weeks to continue the bargaining progress (even when all the table team members are not available).  After speaking with the ASE representatives earlier this week, I have also committed to personally participating in upcoming bargaining sessions.  Additionally, I appreciate the UAW’s willingness to exchange proposals electronically between formal bargaining sessions to maintain forward progress.

As communicated previously, WSU is aware that the ASE voted to authorize their elected bargaining team to call a strike if circumstances warrant.  We are also aware that ASE has planned to participate in a work-in tomorrow (Dec. 8) on the WSU Pullman campus.

WSU looks forward to continuing our negotiations in good faith with ASE.  The Provost’s Office will continue to be in contact as additional information becomes available.

Questions regarding this matter can be directed to WSU Labor Relations at hrs.labor@wsu.edu.

Best regards,

Elizabeth

Elizabeth S. Chilton
Provost and Executive Vice President
Chancellor, WSU Pullman
Professor, Department of Anthropology