Campus services disrupted as 1,200 WWU student employees walk off the job
BELLINGHAM – Approximately 1,200 operational student employees at Western Washington University walked off the job Wednesday morning to strike for union recognition and a contract agreement.
The group of employees formed its union – WAWU-UAW – two years ago. They say despite having a majority of support three times among employees, the university has refused to recognize their union.
“We don’t want to strike, but the WWU Administration has disregarded our decision and left us no choice,” academic advising and student achievement center program support staffer Mathew Woorden said in a release about the strike.
“We’re asking for the same rights as our peers – health and safety protections, proper training, to know our hours in advance – basic working protections for the jobs we do that Western depends on, and that enables us to work our way through an undergraduate education, which is getting harder and harder.”
The employees are responsible for operational work, serving in roles such as resident advisers, program support staff, recreation assistants, clerks, laborers, lifeguards, assistants, attendees, publication editors and as employees in the campus day care center, library and food pantry.
Many campus services continued to operate on a normal schedule Wednesday. The outdoor center, however, was closed. Social programming in residence halls may have been reduced, and limited services were available at the Western Box Office and Western Card Office, according to university officials.
In response to a request for comment, the WWU communications team directed the Bellingham Herald to a letter sent to student employees Tuesday from WWU President Sabah Randhawa.
In the letter, Randhawa says that while the university “fully supports the rights of all employees to collectively bargain,” WWU will not recognize OSE’s bargaining unit until the state Legislature legally grants those rights.
A bill that would have fully granted those bargaining rights did not pass the Legislature this year, although the university “actively supported” it, according to the letter.
“Unfortunately, the bill did not pass the Legislature this year, and while we will not recognize the bargaining unit prior to the passage of the enabling legislation, we will continue to advocate for it in the upcoming 2026 legislative session,” Randhawa said in the letter.
The letter also states that the university takes concerns about employee protections and working conditions “very seriously” and recognizes “how vital student employees are to the university’s operations and campus life.”
“I’m pleased that at the beginning of this academic year we were able to increase wages for student employees to ensure pay equity across all student employment positions, and we will continue to uphold equal pay for all student employees going forward,” Randhawa states in the letter.
“We continue to be committed to providing appropriate services for all student employees, ensuring you are paid for and have access to all required training, including anti-harassment and discrimination training, and are provided critical employee services such as mental health support for employees who are impacted by traumatic events.”
The Bellingham City Council sent a letter of support for the OSE’s union to the university in May, saying that although the state legislation did not advance this session, “the university still can voluntarily recognize the operational student employees.”
“While we recognize you are facing economic challenges, we believe they should be addressed through bargaining to reach a fair and equitable settlement. Therefore, we urge you to recognize the Operational Student Employees organized with Western Academic Workers-UAW 4929,” the city’s letter states.
“We believe that the operational student employees – the more than one thousand Bellingham workers who help the university function and meet its vital public charge-deserve a voice in the future of their work and the university,” the letter states.