NEWS
BSERVED
The cost of damage on Campus
Art to be done away with
See Pg. 4
See Pg. 6
Vol. 127 NO. 2
SPORTS
Sunny continues to shine See Pg. 9
January 18, 2024
THE WORKING WILDCATS: CWU’S STUDENT EMPLOYEES UNION, ‘MADE FOR THE STUDENTS BY THE STUDENTS.’ Members of the working wildcats organizing commitee. From left to right: Michelle Carillo, Olené Togiailua, Caleena Wyman, Nick Villa. (Photo courtesy of Caleena Wyman)
Layla Taha & Isaac Dobmeier Staff Reporter, Scene Editor The Working Wildcats have already made their mark on CWU as they continue to receive impressive support from students and faculty alike. Since its inception in Sept. 2023, the union has garnered hundreds of members according to Anna Ward, a member of the union’s organizing committee. The Working Wildcats intend to improve wages, working conditions and the lives of student employees at CWU through intensive bargaining sessions with the university. Comprised of both student employee members and an organizing committee that operates without designated positions or labels, the union’s structure is modeled partly after Western Washington University’s respective student workers’ union. The Western Academic Workers United-UAW union (WAWU-UAW) recently became the first non-academic student workers’ union in Washington state. Caleena Wyman, a graduate teaching assistant with the history department, is another member of the Working Wildcats’ organizing committee. “I have been working on establishing a student workers’ union since the first day I heard about it,” Wyman said. “Unionization is necessary for us
to gain a seat at the table that determines our working conditions.” After her experience working at Dining Services while in her undergraduate years, a student workers union is something Wyman believes is essential. “I want there to be a union on campus because there are so many student employees who are not being treated fairly,” Wyman said. “The lack of accessibility accommodations for students is appalling. With a student workers’ union, the quality of CWU services will improve when we have over a thousand students working on campus who are being treated fairly in the workplace.” Wyman and Ward both cite the injustices student employees face as a main incentive to unionize. “Poor working conditions and hours, and unfair treatment from bosses and pro staff [are problems for student employees the union intends to solve],” Ward added. Ward also describes nightmarish instances all over campus where employees are forced to work with coworkers who have been accused of sexual assault. The Working Wildcats aim to recruit the 1,200 student workers employed by the university through social media outreach and their crucial authorization cards. Authorization cards allow students to gain union certification and allow the Working Wildcats
to begin collective bargaining as an official, legal union. The cards signify that student workers at CWU support the Working Wildcats, representing all student employees in collective bargaining with university administration.* The union’s ability to collectively bargain is the heart of its determination to push for change. According to the Working Wildcats website FAQ, collective bargaining allows student employees to elect peer representatives to negotiate on the same playing field as the administration here at CWU. It’s important to note that faculty members at CWU are unionized themselves. “And if faculty can unionize, we see no point as student workers why we can’t unionize,” Ward said. A contract known as a tentative agreement (TA) is produced through these negotiations. TA ensures the terms and conditions for student employees. All student employees represented by this agreement will vote to approve the tentative agreement. If the agreement is approved, it becomes a legally binding contract.
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Olene Togiailua presenting at fall quarter meeting. (Photo courtesy of Caleena Wyman)