91探花

The Professional Staff Organization (PSO) has representatives on many University councils and committees, and we contribute our voice to the internal policies and processes that inform our work and work environments. However, decisions and policies that impact our professional roles at 91探花are made in other arenas such as local, state, and federal governments.

Since 2007, state funding to Washington鈥檚 public universities has significantly declined. Every sector at 91探花experiences the impact of reduced funding in any of several forms: including tuition increases, wage reductions and freezes, and, personnel reductions 鈥� to name a few. Higher education is vulnerable to revenue shortfalls because the State is not mandated to maintain funding for higher education. Irrespective of revenue volatility, the University must continue to espouse excellence in pursuit of its .

As professional staff, we acknowledge that 91探花is our chosen workplace and that we are fundamental in contributing to and realizing its mission. It is our enterprise to cultivate positive internal environments that enable us to accomplish our duties successfully. Does this include an attendant responsibility to advocate in external arenas for policies, circumstances, and resources necessary to fulfill our professional responsibilities? The PSO acknowledges that many of us are engaged in spaces to effect outcomes that elevate the 91探花and its mission. Yet, there is a need for more information:

• What can we do to facilitate excellence and uphold the University鈥檚 mission?
• Can we influence public policy that impacts professional staff and our roles at UW?
• What is and is not permissible in advocacy as state/public employees?
• How do we effectively communicate the value of the work we do, the ROI in higher education to our legislators, communities, and Washington State citizens?
• Will our voices make a difference?

Yes, our voices make a difference! If professional staff are sincere about our work contributing to the University鈥檚 mission, then it is important to advocate for the support and resources we need to reach excellence. The PSO encourages professional staff to participate in our internal and external advocacy work, and to explore other avenues for advocacy that may impact your role at 91探花and beyond.

The University鈥檚 has units that focus on federal, state, and regional government relations. Joe Dacca, the Director for State Relations, has developed a handout, 鈥�,鈥� that provides guidelines for advocacy as a 91探花employee and as a private individual. The guide also includes UW鈥檚 2019 legislative agenda. Additionally, official administrative policy for Government Relations and Lobbying is covered in the 91探花Policy Directory, .

Advocacy takes many forms: letters to the editor, phone calls to legislators, expert witness testimony on legislation, and more. However, the key to being effective is to be authentic and have a clear message. Our clear message is that, in service to our students, faculty, fellow staff, and communities, we work 鈥�toward achieving an excellence that well serves the state, the region and the nation.[i]鈥� The 91探花mission and charge conveys our exceptional duty to our constituents; therefore, we must advocate for the necessary and appropriate resources to deliver excellence.

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.鈥� Martin Luther King, Jr.

[i] Role and Mission of the University: BR, February 1981; February 1998; AI, December 2001; BR, July 11, 2013; RC, September 23, 2016; RC, September 20, 2017. http://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/BRG/RP5.html

Campus Master Plan update for 2019 January Newsletter

On Monday afternoon, Dec. 10. The Seattle city council unanimously adopted the UW鈥檚 2018 Campus Master plan for growth. During this months-long process, the City heard concerns from聽the broader Seattle聽community and attached significant conditions (requirements) and requests (suggestions) to the approval of the 2018 91探花Campus Master plan. These include:

• Require 91探花to provide 150 Affordable Housing Units for faculty and staff earning less than 60% AMI
• Require 91探花to provide 300 additional Affordable Housing Units for faculty and staff earning less than 80% AMI
• Require 91探花to lower the parking cap from 12,300 spaces to 9,000 spaces
• Require that the Drive Alone / Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) rate will be reduced to:
  • 15% 1 year after opening of the Northgate Light Rail Station,
  • 13% after opening of the Lynnwood Light Rail Station
  • 12% by 2028.
• Require that the Burke-Gilman Trail separation improvements be accomplished by 2024.
• Request that childcare be incorporated in to affordable housing
• Request for 91探花to study and pursue a childcare voucher program
• Request for more bicycle parking facilities in areas where demand is high

The 91探花Regents will meet on February 14th 2019 to discuss their response to the 鈥渃onditioned鈥� approval of the 2018 Campus Master Plan.聽 聽The Professional Staff organization is following this process closely and especially watching the Regents response to the conditioning of a lower SOV rate as this will likely affect investments in non-driving commute mode shares such as active transportation and the 91探花Transit 鈥淯-Pass鈥� program. Any change in investments and incentives to these programs are likely to have impacts on how professional staff choose to get to campus. Historical聽 91探花Transportation survey data shows that聽when UPASS rates were lower, more staff chose transit to get to/from campus.聽 聽It is also notable that some Unionized 91探花employees will have a free UPASS starting July 1, 2019.

References:

City Council Resolution: https://seattle.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3768347&GUID=01C5F213-36FF-49F7-8A23-ABC1F7A4B816

The 91探花Campus Master plan:

https://cpd.uw.edu/campus-master-plan

See Rob Johnson at ~ 36:00

The 2018 PSO brochure is now available. Download the PDF file below!

Please find below an Update on the 91探花Campus Master Plan process including recent comments of parties of record filed 10/26/2018

In mid September the City Council Planning, Land Use and Zoning (PLUZ) Committee voted to send an amended 91探花Master Plan as a draft resolution to the full City Council for a vote on Sept. 24. Here are the highlights:

Housing Amendment A
The Committee approved an amendment requiring the 91探花to build 450 units of affordable housing for employees, with 150 units for faculty and staff earning less than 60% AMI (Area Median Income) and 300 additional affordable housing units for faculty and staff earning less than 80% of AMI near the University, prior to completion of the 6 million sq. ft. authorized by the Master Plan. Herbold and O’Brien voted for the amendment, Johnson against.

Lisa Herbold’s amendment to require the 91探花to pay into the MHA Housing Fund when it rents to commercial tenants such as Facebook was not voted on due to implementation concerns.

Transportation
Amendment B1 – Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) Trips to Campus
The Committee voted to reduce the University鈥檚 SOV rate goal from the current 17% to 15% one year after the opening of the Northgate Link Extension, to 13% one year after the opening of the Lynnwood Link Extension, and 12% by 2028. The committee is encouraging the 91探花to meet this goal in part by providing transit passes to employees and other strategies.

Amendment B2: Parking associated with residence halls
The Committee voted to include residence hall parking under the overall campus parking cap (see next amendment)

Amendment B3 – Parking
The Committee voted to reduce existing parking cap of 12,300 parking spaces to 9,000 parking spaces to better reflect actual parking use.

Amendment B4 – Bike parking facilities
The Committee voted to require the 91探花to expand covered and high security parking, lighting, lockers, and shower facilities.

Amendment B5 – Burke Gilman trail improvements
The Committee voted to require the 91探花to construct separate pathways for bicyclists and pedestrians on the Burke-Gilman Trail through the campus and install lighting following the University’s Facilities Design Guidelines and Campus Illumination Study, or successor documents by 2024. The University shall widen the Burke-Gilman Trail between Brooklyn Avenue NE and 15th Avenue NE (the Garden Reach) by 2028 or when site W27 develops. The University shall widen the Burke-Gilman Trail north of Rainier Vista (the Forest Reach) when sites C8 or C10 develop, or as opportunities permit.

All three committee members supported the transportation amendments.

Amendment C1: Childcare space – intent statement that space dedicated to child care uses is not counted against the net new 6.0 million square foot allowance in the CMP. Approved.

Amendment D1 – Zoning for site W 22 – The Committee voted to keep the current height limit of 105 feet instead of the UW’s requested 240 feet for this site, prominently situated at the north end of the University Bridge on Campus Parkway. Herbold and O’Brien voted for the amendment, Johnson against.

Amendment D2: Zoning of site W37 – Herbold’s amendment to keep this site by the University Bridge at current zoning height to protect views was not adopted. Johnson and O’Brien were opposed, but O’Brien said he was open to hearing comments on why he should change his mind in the final round later this year.

Amendment E1: Priority Hire – committee approved another statement of intent to encourage the 91探花to adopt a community hiring/priority hiring ordinance. Herbold suggested that the committee add a requirement in the next round that the 91探花have to report annually on their progress towards priority hiring.

Amendment F1: Space for small businesses – Herbold’s amendment that above ground parking and commercial spaces on the ground floor of buildings designed for and dedicated to small businesses is not counted against the net new 6.0 million square foot allowance in the CMP was approved.

Amendment F2: Small business leasing programs – approved amendment encouraging the 91探花to ” explore innovative ways to support local economic development and integration of woman and minority owned local businesses into the Campus, such as the Port of Seattle鈥檚 retail leasing program at Sea-Tac airport

Amendment H1: City-University Agreement – approved resolution asking the 91探花to engage in negotiations to amend the City-University in order to bring the agreement up-to-date
and respond to changes to the regulatory environment, including changes to the Growth Management Act and the Seattle Comprehensive Plan.

The University Board of regents has met and discussed the City鈥檚 amendments and is going to push back against some of the city鈥檚 CMP requirements. Among the contested items, the 91探花wants to keep its 12,500 parking space cap (rather than lower it to 9000 as the city proposes). The 91探花uses only about 10,667 parking spots today. See the Seattle times article below for more details.

The collective bargaining process between many of the 91探花Unions and the Administration has reached an agreement which includes a free UPASS for some unions but not others and notably not the 91探花Faculty and Professional Staff. SEIU 925 and the Transit Riders Union have committed to fight to extend this benefit to all 91探花Employees.

There was a comment deadline on the City Council’s amendments to the CMP – that deadline passed on Oct 26, 2018.聽 The Comments from both the community and university about the plan can be found here:

There is one last comment period that ends on 11/13/2018

References/media coverage related to the campus master plan:

The Seattle City Clerk’s 91探花Campus Master Plan page is here:

The 91探花Campus Master plan web site is here:

The PSO is not a Union. We are an IRS 501 (c)(5) exempt organization. This status indicates that we are a non-bargaining, non-political organization without any contractual relationship to the University. We are a mission driven membership organization advocating for and representing professional staff across the UW. Active participation is voluntary at all times.

Our mission states: the PSO highlights the essential role of, enriches the experience of, and advocates and serves as a resource for professional staff at the 91探花.

The PSO strives to be a trusted, valued partner by seeking alignment of university governance and stated values with the interests of the professional staff community; nurturing a culture of excellence at the 91探花; and fostering a collegial environment among professional staff and with the greater university community.

Links:

* Types of University Personnel (APS 40.1)
* SEIU 925
* Office of the Ombud /ombud/