Around 130 librarians and publishing workers at the University of Washington (UW) in the Seattle metro area are ready to launch a second strike on Wednesday, January 25 if an agreement is not reached. The workers, who are members of the UW Libraries Union, voted to authorize a strike by 94 percent in November. The workers are fighting for higher wages to meet the rising cost of living in one of the most expensive cities in the United States.
The workers voted to establish the UW Libraries Union, which is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union Local 925, in June 2021. University administrators have refused to agree to terms on its first contract with the union, although negotiations have been going on since October 2021.
In October 2022, a year after negotiations started, the union authorized a one-day strike with pickets across all three campuses. Over 50 workers participated that day, according to the Seattle Times.
The dragging out of contract negotiations has further eroded the living standards of the UW librarians and workers at UW Press, the university’s academic publishing unit. Many employees have not seen any raises since prior to the pandemic. Since then, the cost of living has increased at least 11 percent. The average rent for an apartment in the Seattle area is $2,324 and like the rest of the country, gas and groceries have become more expensive because of inflation. Prior to negotiations, staff typically got a 2 percent increase each year,...
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