After conducting an initial audit of longevity raise implementation for student workers at Western, we’ve found approximately 230 student workers who have been improperly denied their longevity raise, representing approximately 12% of our membership. We are working directly with our Labor Relations Partners in HR to get these raises implemented for our student employees, and have filed two grievances over longevity raise implementation at this point. If you were found to be eligible in this audit, you should have received an email today.
Longevity raises are a new benefit under our 2026-2028 Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is an extra 2% raise applied on top of the across-the-board 2% raise, for a total of 4% increase effective September 16th, 2026. Hourly Student Workers are eligible for raises if they worked at least three consecutive academic quarters in the 2025-2026 School Year, and have remained in the same Department in the same Job Title for Fall Quarter 2026.
Hourly Minimum rates for the life of our contract are as follows:
| Job Level | Hire Year | Old CBA Rate | Sept 16th, 2026 | Sept 16th, 2027 | Sept 16th, 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 | $19.79 | $20.58 | $21.40 | $22.26 |
| 1 | 2026 | — | $20.19 | $20.99 | $21.83 |
| 1 | 2027 | — | — | $20.59 | $21.41 |
| 1 | 2028 | — | — | — | $21.00 |
| 2 | 2025 | $21.29 | $22.14 | $23.03 | $23.95 |
| 2 | 2026 | $21.27 | $22.58 | $23.49 | |
| 2 | 2027 | $22.15 | $23.04 | ||
| 2 | 2028 | $22.59 | |||
| 3 | 2025 | $22.79 | $23.70 | $24.65 | $25.64 |
| 3 | 2026 | $23.25 | $24.18 | $25.14 | |
| 3 | 2027 | $23.71 | $24.66 | ||
| 3 | 2028 | $24.18 |
2026-2028 Hourly Rate Schedule
Note: “hire year” in this table assumes you work a full three quarters. Workers who do not work three consecutive quarters are not eligible for 4%, and will receive a 2% raise (equivalent to moving one “hire year” up on this table)
We’re seeking retroactive pay for all student workers who were improperly denied their raises, back to the date of eligibility, September 16th, 2026. If you are determined to be eligible, you will see retropay show up as an additional line item on your pay stub. Retroactive raise amounts are calculated based off your individual wage discrepancy and number of hours worked. We will provide updates once a timeline for retropay disbursement is agreed upon. Please reach out to us at ace@wawu-union.org if you have any questions or concerns, believe you have been improperly denied a raise and haven’t been contacted by us, or have any other workplace concerns!
In Solidarity,
Jase Kaeberlein
Western Academic Workers United, Advocacy & Contract Enforcement