Respect Us, Protect Us, Pay Us

Members of WFSE, SEIU 1199NW, SEIU 925 and WSNA were joined by UW students and community members on Wednesday at Harborview and UW Medical Center to rally for respect and a fair wage increase. 

Hospital employees from nurses to custodians turned out in union shirts and masks with signs declaring, “Respect Us, Protect Us, Pay Us.”

Workers from several unions spoke to the gathered crowd.

“We are all standing here together because it is the same fight,” said WFSE Local 1488 president Paula Lukaszek. 

WFSE president Mike Yestramski joined the rally in support.

Other speakers included WFSE Local 3488 president Tashia Hankerson, Local 1488 Secretary BoJohn McClung, Local 3488 member and past president Sherrona Jamerson, WFSE UW student intern Kaija Corry, Local 1488 vice president Salvador Castillo, Local 1488 treasurer Mike Crain and Local 1488 member Natasha Lozano.

“They pay us based on their value of our work,” said McClung during his speech.

“We need to be paid on the value of being a human being.”

Despite considerable personal risk, frequently changing guidance on COVID safety protocol and policies, and an early dearth of personal protective equipment, these employees kept UW open during the pandemic.

Heralded as a leader in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UW has an endowment of $3.56 billion and has received nearly $11 million in CARES Act funding.

Operating budgets released from the Washington State Senate and House "also carry forward approximately $4.3 million of funding originally intended to partially fund salary increases in fiscal year 2021 for UW faculty and staff paid by state funding and tuition revenue, which were not instituted last year due to the fiscal emergency caused by COVID-19.

WFSE Locals 1488 and 3488 are asking the UW for a wage increase and will head into a full bargaining session in 2022.

Members of these locals are collecting signatures on a letter campaign to the UW leadership asking for a raise. Support them by adding your name here.