UW and WFSE Discuss Sick Leave, Vacation Payouts, and AI Limits in Latest Talks

The University of Washington and the WFSE union met to negotiate policies on sick time accrual, vacation usage, and cash-out benefits for departing employees. The union put forward proposals to protect veterans' healthcare appointments and restrict artificial intelligence use, while the university defended its existing affirmative action language. No final agreement was reported from the session.

The ninth bargaining session yielded tentative agreements on several articles, including expanded joint committee membership (four at department level, seven university-wide) and clarified salary overpayment repayment terms with no interest charges. Both sides also agreed to update pay table references with QR codes and require four months' notice before implementing actual time reporting.

Disagreements persisted on hiring practices, where the university rejected union proposals to restrict artificial intelligence use and add student employee language, though it accepted volunteer-related provisions. The employer also withdrew its earlier affirmative action rewrite, instead maintaining existing federal contractor language while adding disclosure details for affirmative action reports. No final agreement was reached.