Whitman College Employees Association Records, 1967, 1975-1986

The Whitman College Employees Association (WCEA) was formed on January 25, 1978 by a nearly unanimous vote of forty seven college staff members. According to the WCEA constitution and bylaws, the purpose of the organization was to "promote the welfare of the employees of Whitman College and to secure a better means of communication with the administration of the College." The formation of WCEA began in 1977 when Whitman staff members Claire Norsworthy, Sandi Jensen, Sharon Kespohl, Sally Weakley, Donna Chiarelott, Mike Soper, and Carol Paynter, distributed a questionnaire to women staff members employed by the college. The questionnaire included questions about salary, job classification, opportunities for promotion, and workplace satisfaction. A majority of the responses indicated dissatisfaction with working conditions at Whitman, including unfair salary practices, no written set of regulations or policies, and informal job descriptions. Over the next several years, the WCEA was able to negotiate a slight increase in staff salaries, the publication of a staff handbook which included information about fringe benefits and job categorization, and a formal grievance policy. The association also organized several additional salary surveys, worked to educate staff about their rights as employees, and continued to push for pay equity. According to the records, the WCEA appears to have no longer been active after 1987 due to low membership, but at its height more than fifty percent of staff were involved.