Glossary of Terms

The team that represents you in the contract negotiation sessions! The bargaining team will consist of a few representatives from SEIU, and 12 of your peers. These are the folks that will seek member feedback, draft proposals, and bring them to the table with UWLR and IHME SMT. Click here for more information on your bargaining team.

A group of employees that are represented by a single labor union and are covered by the same contract. Since one contract is negotiated for all employees in a Bargaining Unit, employees must be proven to share a community of interest. Bargaining Units are most commonly defined by a list of job classes that can reasonably be grouped together. There are many rules around who can be included in a single bargaining unit - for instance, supervisors cannot be included in the same bargaining unit as their supervisees.

Check the Bargaining Unit page to find out who is eligible for our bargaining unit.

To form a public sector union, the proposed Bargaining Unit submits signed membership cards of people in the unit to the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC). Once the makeup of the Bargaining Unit has been settled by PERC, PERC conducts a card check. They verify each signature and count how many people in the established bargaining unit signed cards. If 50% plus one signed, the union is recognized and the employer must negotiate with the union. If less than 50% but more than 30% signed, PERC holds an election. In this election, 50% of people within the unit who vote must vote in favor of the union for recognition. In the case of the IHME Professional Staff Union, we had over 50% of the unit signed, despite the fact that 20 cards need the signatures verified still! This means that we never had an election, and we got recognition through the card check.

Following the conclusion of card check, Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) issues a certification of the result to the employer stating the exclusive bargaining representative of our Bargaining Unit by SEIU 925. View our certification statement here!

Collective bargaining is the act of union members joining the employer at the table, as equals, to negotiate over a contract. Technically speaking, negotiation is the mechanism used to collectively bargain a contract, but they are often used interchangeably.

Without a union, or collective bargaining, employees are only able to negotiate with their employer as individuals, and have no garuntees or protections. Bargaining as a group is inherently a stronger (and safer) way to achieve real change in the workplace.

A contract, or Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), is a collectively bargained agreement between our union and employer. Contracts generally last for two years, with bargaining for the next contract occurring while still covered by the current contract.

The contract ratification vote is when the members of a single bargaining unit democratically determine whether or not to accept the terms of the agreement that has been tentatively agreed to by the employer and the union’s elected bargaining team. A majority of those voting determines the outcome of the vote, so it’s critical for a supermajority of union members to participate.

Dues are what keep unions going. Union members pay dues to the unions that represent them. Unions use dues for a variety of things. Union dues support contract negotiations, contract enforcement, representation, member education, legislative work, and many other things that directly benefit the membership.

IHME Professional Staff Union is represented by SEIU Local 925. SEIU Local 925 dues are 1.7% of gross income, with a cap of $115/month. After you sign your membership, you have the option to pay dues by having SEIU deduct 1.7% of every paycheck.

A labor union is an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members' interests in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions. Forming a union wins workers the legal right to bargain with their employer over mandatory subjects of bargaining.

Issues that neither union members nor the employer may refuse to negotiate; these must be negotiated. Mandatory subjects of bargaining include wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment as defined in RCW 41.80.020.

Negotiation is the process in which the union and the employer meet to discuss the mandatory subjects of bargaining with the ultimate goal of agreeing on a contract. The number of negotiation sessions will vary from contract to contract based on what the union is asking for, what the employer is willing to give, and whether or not the union members are happy with it.

For us, negotiation sessions will happen between our bargaining team, representatives from SEIU Local 925, UW Labor Relations, UW HR, and IHME HR. Check out the Bargaining Updates pages to stay updated on how they go!

The state agency that oversees public sector labor relations and collective bargaining in Washington State. Learn more about PERC here.

The RCW consists of all permanent laws currently enforced in Washington State. It's relevant to unions because it provides the legal precedent for organizing a new union, and a framework for what we can bargain for.

We are bargaining according to RCW 43.88.583.

If an agreement is reached in collective bargaining negotiations between the union and the employer, it is called a Tentative Agreement or TA because it is not put into effect until each side has ratified it in the contract. TAs are not legally binding, but they are a good step towards getting a contract that the union and the employer can agree on!

This is when an employer or a union violates takes an action that violates labor law, which most commonly means the Nation Labor Relations Act. These laws exist to protect the right to unionized, protect unionized employees against retaliation from their employer, and facilitate as seamless negotiations as possible.

UWLR is the department at UW that serves as the conduit between IHME HR, UW HR and our union. Representatives from UWLR will be present in all of our negotiation sessions. Visit the UWLR website for more info.

An employee who is eligible for a union (part of a bargaining unit) and signs a membership card to become a dues paying member. Once becoming a member, one has access to union rights such as Weingarten Rights and can participate in the negotiation process anywhere from voting on a contract to negotiating with their employer at the bargaining table.

For the IHME Professional Staff union, a member is someone that a) is in a job class represented by union and b) has signed a membership form stating their desire to join our union and contribute membership dues.

Check here to see represented job classes in the Bargaining Unit. Click here to join our union if you haven't already!

Weingarten Rights are guaranteed to all union members based off of the Supreme Court case NLRB v. Weingarten , Inc. IT ensures the right of every union employees to union representation in any meeting that could lead to disciplinary action. Learn more about Weingarten Rights here. If you ever think you might be in a situation where Weingarten Rights might apply to you, reach out to your union immediately!