*This post has been edited for clarity.

Contract negotiations between classified staff and Highline College have reached an unpopular sticking-point. WPEA President Amanda Hacker was informed last Monday that Highline would no longer participate in bargaining, instead sending contract negotiations to the Office of Financial Management (OFM), the legislative office that oversees union contracts. 

On Tuesday, Aug. 5, Highline’s attorney, Tim Reynolds, sent Hacker an email stating, “I have just been informed that Dr. Mosby is currently exploring the option of utilizing the statute to join the coalition and have OFM as its bargaining agent. The college expects to have a response by early next week and we can determine how to move forward with negotiations at that time.” 

Hacker responded, “Unfortunately, this will result in the members’ trust in him eroding further.” 

WPEA classified employees at Highline College are granted local bargaining rights, meaning they can negotiate their contracts with the college directly. Across Washington, other classified higher education employees form a coalition that bargains with OFM. 

Local bargaining often means classified staff have more control over what they ask for, using local inflation rates and cost-of-living increases for their area. The 2025-2027 contracts, which began July 1, for Highline classified staff have been on the table since last year. Since no agreement was reached by the start of the contract, classified staff remain under the previous agreement without any of the economic/financial changes bargained for. 

The minute before Hacker received the news from the college’s attorney, classified staff were sent a cryptic calendar invite from Highline President Dr. John Mosby for Aug. 19 to begin quarterly meetings. Some believed this was Highline coming back to the table, but followed by the notice from AG Reynolds, many believe Highline has made up their mind. 

Sarah Delaplaine, Highline administrative assistant and WPEA steward, reached out to the ThunderWord and said, “Although the meeting sounds like an attempt to strengthen communication between classified [staff] and upper administration…it must be noted that this meeting was called on the first week of break after the summer quarter when no one is on campus at all.”

“Also, only classified staff and the Board of Trustees were invited to this meeting. This, in my opinion, illustrates the nature of this meeting and how it would be best for upper administration that it be kept in the shadows,” said Delaplaine.

With the summer break, the ThunderWord will not be in session to cover the Aug. 19 meeting. 

Last month, a picket line erupted on the lawn in front of Building 9. Classified staff organized the strike after Highline rescinded their offer to pay contract incentives. The ThunderWord reached out to President Dr. John Mosby, who commented, “While Highline College and the WPEA had reached an agreement on a contract in early April 2025, with the payment incentive as one of the agreed provisions, the Washington State Legislature, however, did not fund the contract as part of the state budget for FY25-27. 

“We were later advised by the Attorney General’s Office (SAO) that since the contract was not approved by the Legislature, the entire contract is voided, including the payment incentive.  According to the guidance received from SAO, Highline College does not have the authority on our own to provide compensations to classified staff – even with local funds.”

This sequence of events are a repeat of negotiations from 2021, during COVID. Back then, faculty, students, and classified staff showed up at a virtual Board of Trustees meeting to voice their displeasure. Highline went back, and started local bargains once more. 

Administrative assistant Lauri Miles said, “They did it temporarily, then came back, but as you can see….if you speak up, or stand-up for your rights, what happens – you are retaliated against for asking for a little bit of equity.” 

**Mavrie has been serving as editor for the ThunderWord since 2024. She is also the founding president of Highline’s Non-fiction Writers Circle.**