June 24, 2008

Negotiations for Laundry and Clerical workers at Olympic Medical Center are underway, and the tone so far has been positive. At our first meetings, we’ve been reviewing both contracts to clear up confusing language, especially the sections of the contracts dealing with FMLA. We are also working to ensure that all the different Local 21 contracts at Olympic Medical have similar language that is clear and consistent.

Laundry Issues

For Laundry employees, we are working on a proposal to fairly apply low census hours to all members. We have also presented the Hospital with a hefty wage proposal that would boost pay for all laundry workers. So far, the Hospital has been willing to work through the issues we’ve raised, and they have been very positive in our discussions overall. We expect an initial response from Administration on wages at our next meeting on June 25th.

Clerical Issues

In our bargaining surveys, clerical employees indicated that getting a scheduled vacation could be difficult, especially in the summer months. We are now working to find a solution that offers fair scheduling of vacations while also recognizing the importance of seniority.

Many members in the clerical group have also pointed out their jobs have become increasingly demanding and complex in recent years, but that has not been reflected in their classifications or wage rates. Therefore, we have proposed to review each job classification together with Administration, making necessary wage adjustments to reflect the changes in the workplace. We have also proposed substantial wage increases for all classifications, and are currently awaiting the Hospital’s response.