This bill adds a new section to chapter 41.56 RCW to extend collective bargaining coverage at Western Washington University to certain "nonacademic student employees" who are enrolled in an academic or certificate program. It enumerates included classifications (advertising assistant; community service center coordinator; computer assistant except those in the student technology center; crafts lab assistant; customer service representative; event assistant; media assistant; percussion area coordinator; program support staff; program support/committee student representative; writer/editor; Viking Union building manager; resident advisors; apartment advisors; inclusion assistant), treats employees as enrolled during campus academic breaks for bargaining purposes if employed over the break and enrolled in the adjacent quarter/semester, and declares those listed employees to be an appropriate bargaining unit. The provision excludes employees already eligible for bargaining under this chapter or chapters 28B.52, 41.76, or 41.80 RCW, and those excluded under RCW 41.56.401(1)(a)–(e). The bill limits bargaining scope by excluding termination for failing to meet WWU academic requirements, the amount of tuition or fees at WWU (while expressly allowing bargaining over tuition and fee remission and waiver), WWU’s academic calendar, and the number of students admitted to a class or class section. It requires that compensation provisions in collective bargaining agreements not exceed the amount or percentage established by the legislature in the appropriations act; if the appropriations act is subsequently modified and a compensation provision is affected, both parties must immediately bargain solely to arrive at a mutually agreed replacement for the affected provision. The university may provide additional compensation to covered student employees beyond what the legislature provides. An emergency clause makes the act effective immediately. Legally, this is a new statutory provision added to chapter 41.56 RCW that creates a procedural expansion of collective bargaining eligibility, defines a specific bargaining unit, and sets limits on bargaining subjects and fiscal constraints tied to the legislative appropriations act. The document does not specify the exact new section number, the monetary amounts or percentages in the appropriations act that would limit compensation, the full text or interaction of the referenced RCW sections and chapters, procedures for certifying or implementing the bargaining unit (such as election or recognition processes and timelines), or the filing/approval date with the Secretary of State.

If enacted, a set of nonacademic student workers at Western Washington University in the listed job titles would gain a recognized collective bargaining unit and the ability to negotiate workplace terms, with students employed over academic breaks treated as continuously enrolled for bargaining purposes. WWU managers and existing employee representatives will need to start bargaining with that new unit right away, but key items are off the table (academic dismissals for failing requirements, the university’s tuition/fee levels, the academic calendar, and class size limits), so negotiations will focus on other employment terms like wages, schedules, and benefits within those boundaries. Practical financial effects include a clear limit: any pay or compensation terms they negotiate cannot exceed amounts or percentages set by the legislature in the state appropriations act, and if the legislature later changes those limits both sides must immediately re-negotiate replacements for affected pay terms; WWU may choose to top up compensation beyond the legislative amount at its own expense. Important implementation details are missing here—such as the specific appropriation amounts, the exact procedures to form or certify the unit, and how the referenced RCW sections interact—so timing, costs, and immediate bargaining logistics are uncertain.