About 2,400 University of Washington researchers went on strike Wednesday after failing to reach agreements on their respective contracts after months of negotiations.
The strike will “effectively grind research to a halt,” organizers said, given that striking postdoctoral researchers and research scientists and engineers are responsible for much of the work that grants UW its distinction as a top research institution.
The group of research scientists and engineers, represented by UAW Local 4121, has been in negotiations since August and joined efforts with their postdoctoral colleagues in October. While the groups have reached some tentative agreements with university officials, three core demands from the research scientists and engineers remain unmet, organizers said.
