Postdocs and research staff at the University of Washington are bargaining for a new contract this summer. To address the worsening conditions for transgender people across the country, we proposed a memorandum of understanding to:
- Improve data privacy for anyone (regardless of identity) changing their name, and to waive their ID card replacement fee
- Provide sensitivity training for supervisors of trans workers, to prevent harassment. The equity survey jointly administered by UW and UAW 4121 shows that transgender people at UW are harassed 3x more than cisgender people [1].
- Secure a fund to support costs of gender transition.
Admin has rejected our proposal twice now, each time citing concerns we’ve already addressed. When pressed to explain his reservations, admin’s lead negotiator said: “I am not speaking in terms of facts.” “I haven’t been advised or done any research.” How are we supposed to work with that?
University of Washington admin pride themselves on being part of a trans friendly institution. At the ceremonial pride flag raising, they honored the recently murdered trans girl and UW student Juniper Blessing with a new scholarship [2]. But when asked to simply waive the costs of replacing an ID card for anyone, cis or trans, who changes their name, they moan that we’re asking for “special treatment” and fear-monger about the federal government. How do admin really feel about the queer community? Seattle is a sanctuary city for many trans people fleeing violence from across the country. What precedent does it set if the largest employer in the city refuses to bargain over basic protections?
Admin’s response to the transition support MOU we proposed must be seen alongside their other bargaining positions. So far, admin have proposed to:
- Slash anti-discrimination protections (for example, by removing “medical condition” from the list of protected categories), citing fear of the federal administration.
- Set Postdoc and Research Staff wages to barely increase, representing an effective $7500 wage cut (accounting for inflation) over 3 years. Admin agreed their own offer “fucking sucks”, and its less than half what they gave to non-union staff.
- Effectively take away our right to information about their bargaining proposals, so they never have to prove a thing they assert at the bargaining table.
It’s clear that admin will not give us a fair deal until we show them we won’t take anything less. We’re calling on our community allies – students, faculty and staff, fellow unions, community organizations – to pressure UW admin to start getting serious about our contract, and to support trans workers!
If you’d like to help out, you can sign up here and we’ll reach out to you.
- 2023 Equity Survey Report: 75% of transgender people surveyed reported experiencing harassment at University of Washington.
- Pride Month kicks off at UW with ceremonial flag raising and https://hr.uw.edu/cfd/2026/05/29/pride-month-at-the-uw-and-beyond