BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Unionized student workers at Western Washington University are among those criticizing the state’s budget cuts.

Operational Student Employees (OSEs) and Educational Student Employees gathered in Red Square on Thursday afternoon to protest the roughly $13 million in lost funding.

The two unions represent around 5,000 student employees at the university.

Union representatives say the cuts will likely result in higher tuition and threaten the university’s most vulnerable workers.

“College becomes less affordable and less accessible when higher education has less funding and when our collective bargaining rights are rejected. OSEs are the most vulnerable to budget cuts because we don’t have an agreement with the university, and we don’t have a recognized seat at the table. We don’t want to strike, but if WWU admin won’t recognize our democratic choice to form a union, we will have to consider ALL of our options,” said Frances Wankowski, a front desk attendant for the WWU English Department.

Thursday’s rally also urged administration at Western to recognize the OSEs as an official union.

OSEs held a sit-in at a Board of Trustees meeting last month in their continued effort to gain recognition so they can begin negotiating a new contract.

The union is currently considering a strike, similar to the one that Educational Student Employees went on last spring that ended with many of their demands being met.