A Tiny Glimpse At Our Community
Read our stories and share yours!
We are student workers from across all workplaces at CWU, coming together to make CWU a better place to work. Read our stories, and contact us to add your own!
Olene Togiailua, Apartment Manager
“I am the product of a single mother household with substance abusers on both sides of my family. I decided to go to college because of the need to escape poverty, abuse and gang violence in my neighborhood. The university has a responsibility to take care of its students especially since we will be the ones representing the institution in the future, the least they can do is give us a living wage if they actually care about diversity and equity.”
Bobi Vladimirov, Public Affairs
“I decided to support the union because it aligns with my goals to help the community prosper. Competitive pay and fair working conditions are crucial for our well-being.”
Caleena Wyman, Graduate Teaching Assistant
“With unionization, student employees will have working standards that will set them up for the success of themselves and for Central as a whole. As student workers, we are a resource that is used throughout campus. The improvement of working conditions on campus will improve the CWU experience that student workers contribute to every day. Unionization is not just for the student employees and will leave a better CWU for the working Wildcats after us, regardless of their location on campus.”
Andrew Knickerbocker, Lead Student Ambassador
“I believe that all student workers deserve fair compensation, and safe work environments.”
Shane Turntoes-Kuhnhenn, Archaeology Tech
“There's nothing wrong with advocating for a voice in the conversation of employment.”
Xander Johnson, Leadership Programmer
“Building a union will help to secure a living wage, better working conditions, and expanded upward mobility for all CWU student employees.”
Anna Ward, Clubs and Orgs RSO programmer
“I have seen the injustice within the workplaces of CWU and feel that action needs to be taken. I feel that people deserve to get properly compensated for the hours they spend on the job. I am a fairly new CWU employee and I have already heard multiple stories about people not getting paid for the hours they work. When you work 40+ hours, you are entitled to every penny. Not to mention the continued employment of an individual in dining who has been accused of multiple SA incidents within the workplace. We need to protect our students and employees. Justice needs to be served.”
Natalie Hammill, Peer mentor
“All employees deserve equitable treatment, so all student workers must stand by one another.”
Nick Villa, ASCWU Vice President
“The reason I support the Unionization of CWU is that it will allow student employees to have a direct platform to advocate for issues in the workplace. Student employees on our campus are a vital part of our campus, by forming a union students gain the platform and collective bargaining power to advocate for their needs, concerns, and interest. Unionization will also support and protects student employees in the face of discrimination and harassment. Unionization of student employees will also ensure that they are involved in the decision-making process. By supporting the Unionization of campus employees, we can help further CWU mission of being an equitable and inclusive campus that is a model to others.”
Dexter Seuberlich, Catering Assistant
“I support the Union because I believe workers deserve an equal shake in the business world. I have seen people having trouble affording food and housing while working on this campus and I believe that is unacceptable.”
Chance MacPherson, SURC custodian
“I would like opportunities to be able to get promotions and work up in my job position.”
Malia Davis, HTE Student Ambassador
“I have worked 3 different jobs on the CWU campus all in different departments. I have seen the issues and divisions first hand and believe that changes need to be made. Students are not treated like adults and given less because of this. Everyone deserves to have living wages and protected rights as a student employee!”
Juniper Diegel, Dining Services Member
“I believe unions are essential for every employee to have access to, especially when we’re talking about student employees. There are too many stories on a regular basis about people being treated poorly and unfairly in the workplace, most commonly when it comes to the difference of their job title and the weight responsibilities they are actively assigned. Too many students are not being paid enough for the work they put in, as well as some even being shorted from what they were originally promised. Some students are working under very stressful, toxic and even dangerous circumstances as a product of their responsibilities and the way in which their supervisors conduct themselves with them. While all of this is unacceptable to me on its own, I find it even more disturbing that higher level faculty can unionize with no problems, while the students are actively being taken advantage of on a daily basis.
My mission is to give students a voice for what they want out of their campus jobs, as well as giving them the proper benefits they need to make it through school at a reasonable pace. This includes higher wages, tuition & fee reductions, health benefits, consistently monitored work environments and a clear transparency on scheduling and compensation. Working students deserve more respect in the workplace than they are currently getting, and I want to make every effort into making this change for us all!”
Joseph Gabriel Burke, ASCWU Policy Director
“I want to come together with other CWU students who have similar and different experiences working on-campus. Unionizing to me means realizing better working conditions, fair scheduling and treatment, and making sure students get fair compensation for their hard work.”
Danielle Hegarty, Lead Student Ambassador
“I support a student employee union because we deserve the same bargaining privileges that our faculty and staff have. We are the backbone of the university and it could not operate without us. Too many of my friends have faced harassment in the workplace and live paycheck to paycheck. Things need to change and now is the time to step up, and speak out.”
Jess Eavenson, Student Initiatives Coordinator
“It is my third year working at the DEC and I only recently got a raise above minimum wage. It was twenty-six cents. It will be surpassed by the minimum wage increase of 2024. If the state of Washington agrees that I do not make enough for a first year worker, then I definitely do not make enough as a third year worker!”
Alex Muetze, Graduate Teaching Assistant
“To unionize is to be American. The union makes us strong.’’
Mikaela Phillips, Graduate Teaching Assistant
‘‘I believe in collective advocacy for a standard of employment at all levels.’’
Payton Marshall, Student Programmer
‘‘Student employees are the backbone of this university, we are students and workers. Despite the university saying that they support us as students and workers, many of us have been asked to put work far over our personal or school life. We need an organization to help us work with the problems of bosses asking us for more of our time, or pushing us to do as many hours as possible. We deserve representation and protection from the university.”
Alex Joy, Conference Student Assistant/Student Lead
“Student employees function as the working backbone of this school and hold up some of the most important functions on our campus. These workers deserve to be treated fairly and compensated properly for the time and effort they give to the university and the community.”
Lee Banford, Custodian
“I support the unionization of CWU Student Employees because working together can help make sure student staff are having a voice in their jobs along with making sure all students can have a say in their pay and benefits.’’
James Vasbinder, Worker
“To benefit my fellow co-workers, peers, and myself”