Western, UW tell lawmakers higher‑ed bargaining strained by fund‑split and student‑employee costs

Higher‑education officials told the Joint Committee on Employee Relations that local bargaining decisions at universities are constrained by an inconsistent state fund‑split policy and limited state support for student employee compensation.

"We are the second largest employer in Whatcom County with about 2,000 FTEs," Nora Sealander, Director of Government Relations at Western Washington University, said as she described Western's 10 bargaining units across five unions and the university's reliance on a fund‑split that divides costs between state funds and tuition.

At the University of Washington, Marissa Grunz (Executive Director, HR Policy & Workforce Strategy) and Jed Bradley (Assistant Vice President, Budget Policy & Strategy) said UW employs about 54,347 people and that state funding comprises only a portion of core budgets, with incremental salary and benefit increases often expected to be funded from tuition or other revenue sources. Bradley noted the university is roughly 40% state‑funded and 60% tuition‑funded in its base budget.

Sealander gave a concrete example of volatility: in one biennium the fund split increased to roughly 70% state support and then moved down to about 51% the following year, a swing she said equated to a multi‑million‑dollar de facto cut for the university. She also highlighted that there is currently no state funding for student employee compensation increases, which complicates uniform pay decisions and contributes to pressure on campus budgets.

UW presenters said academic student employees (teaching assistants and research assistants) are funded by a mix of core funds and grants; recent contracts have driven multi‑year salary increases and higher health‑care costs, which has contributed to fewer ASC positions and larger class sections in some programs.

What this means: volatility in fund‑split policy and limited state funding for student wages force universities to decide locally how to absorb incremental compensation costs, with consequences for recruitment, class size and student financial stability. Both institutions said they will continue bargaining locally while coordinating with OFM and monitoring legislative developments.