Providence Sacred Heart Techs Weekend Plans on the Strike Line!

Join us on Saturday for FEED THE LINE

We will have the Blue Apron Brigade (The Babs) delivering food and support we received from the Community in the area at various times in the day. Who are the Babs you may ask? Well come to the Strike line on Saturday and you won’t miss them.They’re the fun people wearing Blue aprons with FOOD!

• Breakfast will be delivered to the strike lines around 7:00am and is from Panera Bread.

• Lunch will be near the Check-In tent around 12pm and it is TECH-SASS STYLE BBQ from Fresh Soul. We will have folks relieve people from each strike line in groups so that you can grab lunch at the tent.

• Dinner will be delivered to each strike line around 3:00pm and will be from Las Delicias de Isla.

• Dinner will be delivered to each strike line around 5:30pm and is from Ricuras Caribeñas.

• Some Community members may be dropping by with goodies throughout the day as well!

"Why is Providence afraid to face us?”

—Join us on Sunday for Family day of Sweet Treats and Face painting! A face painter will be at the Check-In Tent from 11am to 4pm. Bring the children!

Providence Sacred Heart Techs ULP Strike Day 2 update

Amazing turnout of workers and community the first two days of the strike! We will be sending out short updates throughout the strike- today is an important update regarding your strike benefits and an invitation to join the Rally tomorrow night 4/24 at 7pm in Cowley Park.

Please help pass the word to friends and family- and wear your best western themed clothing for a Sunset showdown Rally in support of the Technical workers. We’ll be joined by community and legislative speakers… we hope to see you there!

WHAT IS MY STRIKE BENEFIT?    

Our Union Executive Board has approved strike fund benefits for represented workers of: 

• $500/week for picketing a minimum of 20 hours a week, 

• $800/week for picketing a minimum of 32 hours or more a week, 

• $200/week “Respect the Line Benefit” for those who cannot join their colleagues on the strike line but respect the strike line and do not cross. *Respect the Line Benefit only available on full week.  

  Since this is an 8.5 day strike, there are an extra two days that represented workers are eligible for strike benefits: 

• Week 1: Monday April 22 – Sunday April 28: Receive benefit above based on hours on the strike line 

• Week 2: Monday April 29 – Tuesday April 30: Strike Benefit will be pro-rated: 

• $200 for picketing 8-12 hr

• $320 for picketing more than 12 hr

Our health care workers are standing up for fair treatment and safe patient care at Sacred Heart.

Come by at 7 PM to meet striking workers and prepare for a sunset solidarity rally, with voices from the hospital and our community. Let’s show Sacred Heart workers that this community has their back!

Our health care workers are standing up for fair treatment and safe patient care at Sacred Heart. https://www.mobilize.us/ufcw3000/event/620522/
 

Providence Sacred Heart Tech ULP Strike Notice Delivered: We Stand United

ULP Strike Notice Delivered at Sacred Heart: We Stand United 

After months of bargaining with Providence Sacred Heart in Spokane, Sacred Heart Medical Center technical workers voted overwhelmingly to REJECT Providence’s most recent contract offer and YES to authorize an unfair labor practice strike, with unprecedented voter turnout. 

“A supermajority of UFCW 3000 members showed up to vote. As an extension of our voices, we used our votes to reject the present contract offered by Providence and to authorize a strike, signaling it is time for Providence to hear us and find solutions to combat short staffing and retain experienced staff. We are a part of this community, and we will continue to fight to keep our community safe and healthy.” – Providence Sacred Heart Technical Unit Bargaining Team: Derek Roybal, Janelle Mathias, Craig Kistler, Lee Lidman, Joe Sikkila, Shane Sullivan, Miriam Critelli, Teresa Bowden, Angela Holmes, Holly Granly.

Today we delivered to a 10-day strike notice to Providence. Our union bargaining team has called for an Unfair Labor Practice Strike starting at 2:00pm on April 22 and lasting until April 30, with picketing outside the hospital every day between the hours of 5:30am - 8:30pm.

WE STRIKE BECAUSE:

We deserve better. Providence’s behavior at the bargaining table has shown us consistent disrespect. That disrespect of our rights and our bargaining process has extended to management committing unfair labor practices. Providence management implemented a change in working conditions, imposing schedule changes outside the bounds of our contract even as our union objected. They engaged in blatant direct dealing with union members outside of negotiations, skirting the bargaining process by attempting to coerce members into approving terms we had not agreed to. At the final hour they punitively revoked our access to the hospital for our contract vote the day before the vote. From the beginning, we had to fight just to keep our existing medical and dental guarantees on the table, which we only saved through relentless action and solidarity. Management’s insistence that we compare our compensation with a nearby hospital vanished when those workers negotiated significant improvements. Now Providence seems perfectly comfortable making many of us the lowest-paid workers in our field in our region, all while committing unfair labor practices throughout our negotiations. They even made the decision to take away snacks and drinks from employees utilizing the OR break room.

Our patients deserve better. Chronic short-staffing and perpetual on-call is running us ragged. Sacred Heart Medical Center is the only hospital of its kind in the region, yet instead of recognizing the unique specialty, skills, and services we provide, hospital leadership seems convinced they don’t have to invest in staff. We are a lifeline for the sickest patients in the Inland Northwest, and without a better contract we will continue to lose the technical staff required to offer the highest level of care. Our patients deserve the best care team possible, and we can’t achieve that if technical staff can work down the street for better pay, fairer treatment, a higher level of respect, and less demanding work. 

Our community is counting on us. If we allow Providence management to degrade the standards in our contract, to ignore our hard work and sacrifices, to set the bar as low as possible for how skilled technical workers are treated, we know it will have devastating impacts on our ability to retain our experienced staff and recruit new highly qualified technical staff. As our region’s only level II trauma center for adult and pediatric patients, Providence should be the regional leader in recruiting and retaining skilled staff. 

We stand united. Our unit has shown up to these votes in lockstep, with unprecedented turnout and unanimous or near-unanimous votes rejecting Providence’s offers and authorizing this unfair labor practice strike. We have come this far together. Walking a strike line is a last resort, and we don’t take it lightly, but we are ready to stand up for our patients, our community, and each other. Unfair labor practices are unacceptable, and the disrespect we’re facing at the bargaining table negatively impacts patient care. We have the support of 50,000 fellow UFCW 3000 members and our union’s community allies across Spokane.

We are inspired by our fellow Providence workers, including the 1,300+ nurses at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett who went on strike in 2023 and demanded better for their patients and staff. Following their lead, we call on all Providence workers to keep organizing together in solidarity, in this contract fight and in your upcoming contract negotiations. Each time that we stand up to Providence’s corporate greed, we lay a foundation to envision what a more powerful voice could look like for workers and patients in our health care system and specifically within Providence Health & Services.

PROVIDENCE SACRED HEART STRIKE – TAKE ACTION: 

It’s time to send Providence a clear message that they need to do better, we expect better, and our patients deserve better. Join us in actions over the coming days and on the strike line starting on April 22 to ask Providence to be the leader our community and patients need. 

BEFORE WE STRIKE: 

• Fill out your W9 to receive ULP strike benefits >> 
  All represented workers who picket over 20 hours a week will receive $500, or $800 if you picket for over 32 hours. If you are unable to join the picket but respect the strike line and stay home, you can receive $200 Respect the Line pay.

• Sign up for your strike shifts! >>

• Share the Community Pledge to support the ULP strike with your friends, family and community >>

CALENDAR: Join actions next week to help prepare for a successful strike! 

Monday 4/15 @ 7pm: Media and Social Media Training via Zoom 
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82384326981?pwd=SnpRTW5Ub1AzeS9OeGlPK2twaExQZz09  

Tuesday 4/16 @ 6pm: Picket Sign-Making Party
@ UFCW 3000 Office: 2805 N Market St, Spokane, WA 99207. Come make a sign and also pick up community support signs to share with local businesses.  

Wednesday 4/17 @ 11am: Press Conference
@ UFCW 3000 Office: 2805 N Market St, Spokane, WA 99207. Invite family and friends to join us! 

Wednesday 4/17 @ 7pm: Telephone Town Hall call with Providence workers statewide 
Providence Sacred Heart workers will receive a call at the phone number on file with the union inviting you to join this call at 7 pm. If you miss the call or do not receive a call, you can join the meeting anytime by calling (888) 652-0386 and entering Meeting ID 7911  

Friday 4/19 @ 6pm: Strike Captain Meeting
@ UFCW 3000 Office: 2805 N Market St, Spokane, WA 99207. Are you interested in helping to be a leader on the line? Come join us for training on roles, how to lead, and what to expect.

Monday 4/22 @ 2pm: UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE STRIKE BEGINS
Picketing at the hospital will occur daily from 5:30am – 8:30pm through 4/30. 

*Additional communications will be sent out answering frequently asked questions, as we prepare logistically for the Strike. Stay up to date at www.ufcw3000.org/strike. 

Lourdes Medical Center Techs New Three Year Contract Ratified at 100%

Left to right: Melinda McBee, Pharmacy Tech “Stay Positive, Work Hard, Make a Difference”; David Coomes, Surgical Tech “Get involved become part of the solution”; Shahna Airoldi Ultrasound Tech “Get educated on your contract. It is power”; Robert Roy Respiratory Therapist “I have learned a lot through this process and am eager and willing to learn MORE”, Juanita Quezada, Union Representative;Monica Cacioppo, Pharmacy Tech “It is the U and I in Union that makes us STRONG”; Francisco Ramon-Montoya, Rehab “You will never win if you never begin”; Jorge Rodriquez, Surgical Tech not pictured

This contract Includes:

• Secure across the bargaining unit wage increase for all members each year of the contract and retro back to January 1, 2023

• Improvements throughout the scale wages.

• Increase PTO hours max accrual bank.

• Improvement to rest between shift language

• Improvements to premium pays

• Provides process to increase wages mid-contract

• New membership language that will build power within the medical center.

• New step increase practice to improve the process of getting increases.

On Tuesday January 31, 2023 represented employees at Lourdes Medical Center showed up in Super Majority numbers to sign up to become UFCW 3000 members and vote on our new contract. Our Bargaining Team would like to thank everyone that showed up to vote and remind everyone to check your paychecks frequently. Remember: now the hard work of enforcing the contract begins.

If you have questions, please reach out to our Bargaining Team members or Union Representative Juanita Quezada at 509-340-7407. If you have a potential grievance please reach out to the MEMBER RESOURCE CENTER at 1-866-210-3000

Lourdes Medical Center/ LifePoint - Technical Bargaining Continues

Our Bargaining Team met with the Employer for two days of bargaining this week and are confident that our hard work at the table will help win a contract that will address economic justice and strengthen our Union within the workplace. 

Our next bargaining dates: Wednesday, January 4 and Thursday, January 5

For questions, concerns, or comments, please reach out to a Bargaining Team Member or Union Rep Juanita Quezada @ 509-340-7407.

“Positive thinking will let you do everything over negative thinking.” 

- Malinda Mcbee, Pharmacy Tech

 “Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much.”

- Monica Cacioppo, Pharmacy Tech

 “Everything is looking good.  We are moving in the right direction.”

- Francisco Roman-Montoya, Rehab Aide

“The battle is long but the reward is great.” 

- David Coomes, Surgical Tech

“Your Bargaining Team is working hard for you, have no fear.”

- Shahna Airoldi, Ultrasound

Our Lourdes Medical Center Bargaining Team (L-R): Malinda Mcbee - Pharmacy Tech, Monica Cacioppo - Pharmacy Tech, Juanita Quezada - Union Rep, Francisco Roman-Montoya - Rehab Aide, David Coomes - Surgical Tech, Shahna Airoldi - Ultrasound, Robert Roy, Respiratory Therapist; Not pictured: George Rodriguez - Surgical Tech

Providence Everett - Management finally responds to Union proposed incentives and retention bonus!

Providence Everett Medical Center
Management finally responds to Union proposed incentives and retention bonus!

For several months, we have been asking Providence to focus on improving staffing through incentives. In July, we proposed to Providence Everett Management three incentives to help with retention and recruitment. We proposed: 1) a flip shift incentive which would give day/evening shift employees time-and-a-half for every hour worked during a temporary night shift assignment; 2) an extra shift incentive for any employee who works beyond their assigned FTE; 3) an $8,000 retention bonus, split in two payments, for all employees who have been employed since July 1, 2022.

Providence finally responded to our proposal on October 3. They responded with an extra shift incentive only for RNs, Discharge Planners, Transition Planners, Respiratory Therapists, CT Techs, MRI Techs, Medical Lab Techs, Medical Techs ASCP, Senior Medical Techs, Surgical Techs, and Sterile Processing Techs. These employees who are assigned a 0.9 FTE or below would receive time-and-one-half pay for shifts beyond their FTE and employees who are assigned above a 0.9 FTE would receive double time pay for shifts beyond their FTE.

While we recognize Providence’s effort to alleviate staffing problems with this incentive, we do not believe this is sufficient. The incentive is only for a portion of employees. It is important that all nurses, professionals, and techs be included!

We will be discussing the incentives with your Bargaining Committee and responding to Providence. Please reach out to your Union Rep or Bargaining Committee for questions or comments.

Providence Everett RN Pro Tech update Reduced ESBs means more staffing problems!

Providence Everett RN, Pro & Tech

Reduced ESBs will result in more staffing problems!

In January, Providence Everett Management proposed to reduce the February extra shift bonus (ESB) stating that the current bonus amounts are extremely costly which has resulted in going over budget. They also mentioned they want to align their ESB amounts to better match the lesser bonus amounts of other Providence hospitals.

We told Providence that we did not agree with their proposal and proposed we wait until mid-February to evaluate March bonus amounts for each unit. We believe reduced ESBs will result in less staff volunteering for extra shifts, which will increase caregivers’ workload and will lead to more burnout/resignations. If there is less staff, then there will be less caregivers to provide care. We are deeply concerned about the well-being of caregivers and the quality of care the community will receive if there is less staff.

We also asked Management on January 28 to provide information regarding vacancies, labor expenses on agency/travel staff, recruitment and retention plans, and monthly labor expenses since 2019. This information is needed to better understand their claims. We still have not received a response to our information request.

We are disappointed that Management has chosen to implement the reduced rates and will be asking them to reconsider their position for the sake of patient care and the well-being of UFCW 21 members.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to your union representative, Anthony Cantu.

Capital Medical Center Service Technical - Tentative Agreement Reached! Vote Scheduled

Full details of the offer will be available during our online vote meetings!

Thursday, February 24
9AM - 10AM
6PM - 7PM
https://zoom.us/join
Contact the Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will also be emailed out.

---

Our Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement with Management on a new three-year collective bargaining agreement for the Service & Technical unit at Capital Medical Center! We are excited to announce that this tentative agreement includes:

• Historic wage increases unlike we’ve ever seen at Capital, resulting in wage scales similar to Tacoma General Hospital,

• $1,750 ratification bonus, pro-rated by FTE,

• Per Diem differential increased to 15%, resulting in an extra 3% wage increase for all per diems,

• Increases to several differentials/premiums,

• Changes to Paid Time Off (PTO) that would result in higher accrual rates for most employees,

• And so much more!

While we did agree to a lower Extended Illness Bank (EIB) accrual rate, we were able to push out that change until January 1, 2024. In exchange, we won other improvements to EIB & PTO such as removing the cap on EIB accruals (unlimited EIB bank), EIB cash out upon termination in good standing, donation of EIB to coworkers in need, ability to cash out twice as much PTO each year and, when cashing out PTO, employees will be paid 100% of it’s value instead of the current 90% rate.

It’s extremely important that members attend the Zoom meeting to get a full understanding of the Employer’s offer and have your questions answered. However, voting will not take place at this meeting.

We will be voting online via “SimplyVoting” on Friday, February 25 from 6AM - 8PM. You will be receiving an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information.

In order to vote, everyone needs to make sure their personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, go to: ufcw21.org/update-your-information

If you do not receive an email to vote on Friday, February 25, then please reach out to Union Representative Ian Jacobson 206-436-6550 to provide an updated email address no later than 5PM on the day of the vote.

PRMCE Techs Ratify Contract!

On February 2, 2022 Providence Everett techs voted online to approve a new contract through 6/30/25. The agreement includes robust across the board wage increases, many market adjustments, and improvements to step progression on the wage scales with NO TAKEAWAYS!

Need to join UFCW? Fill out your membership application!

Our PRMCE Professionals Bargaining Team: Maria Goodall, Vascular Ultrasound; Darryl Keffer, Respiratory; Rodney Powers, Diagnostic Imaging; Terryl Smith, Pharmacy Tech

Capital Medical Center Technical Service - NEGOTIATIONS COLLAPSE

“We cannot have a deal unless the employer compensates us for the time worked without a raise since our contract was scheduled to expire in October.”

Bargaining Team: Adam Swigart, Julie Hinchcliff, and Maureen Ciglia

Your bargaining team met with management again on January 21 and 24 to continue negotiations for your successor contract.

We are disappointed to report that negotiations collapsed late into Monday night. While the union had made significant movement towards an agreement, the employer refused to make any meaningful changes to their proposal that would indicate that they were ready for a deal.

In fact, your bargaining team began our Monday bargaining session by informing the employer that we were ready to work into the night to reach an agreement. By mid-afternoon the employer stated that they didn’t feel that working into the night would be worth the effort, signaling that they did not care to reach a deal. Despite the management’s lack of enthusiasm, we continued discussions late into the evening. 

The major problem remains their proposed reduction of our Extended Illness Bank accruals and the removal of the day after Thanksgiving as a holiday. The union made proposals to mitigate the effects of such changes, however, we made clear that retro-pay back to scheduled expiration is the key to reaching a settlement on these issues. The employer responded with an insulting $275 ratification bonus instead of retro. MultiCare made explicitly clear to your bargaining team that they have no interest in paying employees at Capital Medical Center retro pay, even though they offered it to UFCW members at Tacoma General and Auburn Medical Center last year.

We did have informal talks about a higher ratification bonus, but it was nothing close to what we are owed for all the hours we’ve worked since our contract was originally scheduled to expire in October.

To make matters worse, the employer surprised your Bargaining Team by LOWERING their proposed across the board increase in the first year. Management’s excuse was that they needed to make such an adjustment to pay for other “improvements” they were offering since they had already exceeded their authority on the cost of our contract.

Your bargaining team felt strongly that we cannot accept an offer that cut our EIB accruals, removed a paid holiday, included a first year across the board increase that was lower than our last session, and included an insulting ratification bonus. 

We made clear to the employer that the Union’s movement towards the employer’s demands were not only contingent on retro-pay, but would also expire on Monday at 11:59PM. Since we failed to reach a deal, the union’s offer is now off the table and not available to the employer.   

We are working to enlist the assistance of a federal mediator, at which point we will schedule additional bargaining dates with management. 

Next Steps:

Stand up against MultiCare by reaching out to a Bargaining Team member or Union Representative to get “Keep your Hands off our PTO & EIB” stickers that you can wear in your workplace. 

Attend regular Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings to hear the latest updates regarding negotiations, plan actions to pressure management, and learn how to get your co-workers involved. Our next meeting is being held virtually February 2 @ 6:00PM

Capital Medical Center CAT Meeting

Wednesday, February 2 • 6:00PM

https://zoom.us/join

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

PRMCE Technical - Tentative Agreement Reached Bargaining Team Unanimously Recommends a Yes Vote

On January 18, 2022 our bargaining team reached a tentative agreement on our contract. This expedited bargaining process has been successful and resulted in big wins for our bargaining unit without any takeaways.

• The three-year agreement includes:

• Competitive wage increases, including market adjustments for many classifications

• Bonus upon ratification and one year later

• Improvements to step progressions in the wage scale

• Increases to education funds

• Increases to evening and night shift differentials

• Increases to Standby Pay 

• Increases to Preceptor Pay

• Improvement to Bereavement Leave

• Improvements to grievance procedure

• New Standby bonus for excessive standby hours

• AND NO TAKEAWAYS

“We’re happy to have bargained early to implement wage increases before the expiration of our contract. This contract will help our hospital retain the team we have and recruit so that we can provide the best level of care. We fought hard to make sure that everyone’s voices were heard and encourage you to vote YES on this offer. Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Our PRMCE Professionals Bargaining Team: Maria Goodall, Vascular Ultrasound; Darryl Keffer, Respiratory; Rodney Powers, Diagnostic Imaging; Terryl Smith, Pharmacy Tech

Full details of the contract offer will be available during the online vote on Wednesday, February 2 from 6AM - 8PM. You will receive an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information. All members in good standing are eligible to vote. 

TO VOTE ONLINE, make sure your information is up to date! In order to vote on proposals, make sure your personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please update your email @ ufcw21/update-your-information.

If you do not receive an email to vote on Wednesday, February 2, please reach out to Union Representative Anthony Cantu at acantu@ufcw21.org or 206-436-6566 to provide an updated email address.

Have Questions? 

Full details of the offer will be available at an online vote meeting Monday, January 31. Drop in from 7AM - 9AM and 5:30PM - 7:30PM

Monday, January 31

7AM - 9AM • 5:30PM - 7:30PM

https://zoom.us/join

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also mailed and emailed out.

Capital Medical Center Technical Service - BREAKTHROUGH!

Your Bargaining Team met with management again on January 10 to continue negotiations for your successor contract.

We are excited to report that we’ve made significant process in negotiations with management having a sudden change of heart. At the end of our last session, management surprised us by making an economic proposal that ceded to a significant portion of the Union’s economic demands, which would bring Capital Medical Center employees up to market competitive wages. 

For the last few months your Bargaining Team has been showing MultiCare comprehensive data that shows that our wages are far behind what other hospitals are paying, justifying our proposals for large increases. Your Bargaining Team also expressed frustration that MultiCare has been willing to give employees at other facilities significant wage increases but not Capital Medical Center, as if we are not a priority to MultiCare. You also make this clear by wearing stickers in the workplace that informed patients that “MultiCare is Failing our community.”

They listened… but we’re not done yet.  

While historic wage increases are on the table, MultiCare is still proposing to cut your Extended Illness Bank accruals by about 40%. We warned management that if they want a deal anytime soon, their proposal must be withdrawn, or we will be forced to take further action. We know the community will not stand for MultiCare’s attack on healthcare workers EIB, especially in the middle of a pandemic, no matter the wage increases being offered.

We will meet with the employer again on Friday, January 21 and it is possible that we’ll have an agreement. However, this will be contingent on MultiCare withdrawing their EIB proposal. In the meantime, please continue to wear your union stickers at work and tell your manager what you think about their EIB proposal. 

“We’ve seen a breakthrough in negotiations, historic wage increases are suddenly on the table”

Bargaining Team: Adam Swigart, Julie Hinchcliff, and Maureen Ciglia

Next Steps:

Stand up against MultiCare by reaching out to a Bargaining Team member or Union Representative to get “Keep your Hands off our PTO & EIB” stickers that you can wear in your workplace. 

Tell your manager what you think about MultiCare’s proposal to cut your EIB accruals by about 40%.

Attend regular Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings to hear the latest updates regarding negotiations, plan actions to pressure management, and learn how to get your co-workers involved. Our next meeting is being held virtually January 19 @ 6:00PM

Capital Medical Center CAT Meeting
Wednesday, January 19 • 6:00PM

MultiCare Covington Medical Center Service & Technical & RN - Emergency Wage Increases—Vote Scheduled

We are pleased to announce that we’ve come to a tentative agreement with MultiCare on emergency wage increases for all UFCW Local 21 members at Covington Medical Center! The proposed increases would align our wages with the union contracts recently negotiated at Auburn Medical Center.

It is also important to note that this is considered a mid-cycle increase, meaning that it is occurring outside of normally scheduled contract negotiations. Therefore, we are still scheduled to renegotiate your contract later this year, which will be another opportunity to further increase wages and make other changes to your contract. 

However, the proposed wage increase must first be approved by a vote of membership before they can be implemented. We will be voting online via “SimplyVoting” on Thursday, January 13 from 6:00AM to 8:00PM. You will be receiving an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information. 

In order to vote, everyone needs to make sure their personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please visit ufcw21.org/update-your-information and update your information. If you do not receive an email to vote on Thursday, January 13, then please reach out to Union Representative Kent Tse at ktse@ufcw21.org no later than 5PM on the day of the vote to provide an updated email address. 

Have Questions? 

There will be virtual meetings on the day of the vote to explain the details of the offer and answer any questions. Drop-in anytime during the scheduled meeting times.

Thursday, January 13

6AM – 8AM & 5PM – 7PM

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

Seattle Children’s Hospital Tech - Management Needs to Take Us Seriously

On Tuesday, December 21, our team met with management for our second session of joint negotiations. We were disappointed to receive a meek response to what we proposed last week. Management denied most of our strong lanaguage which included expanding access to union resources, an accessible new employee union orientation led by coworkers, limiting managements unilateral power over us, and fully integrating per diems into our union. Even worse, what could have been promising movement towards meeting some of our proposals was completely negated by the fact that their response was in “package” form, meaning that they will only accept these proposals altogether. Essentially, they are trying to force us to accept their bad proposals in exchange for some of our priorities. 

We are sad but not surprised to see that they do not want to fully incorporate the per diems into the union. Currently per diems do not have the same level of protection as other workers. They also cannot become stewards, bargaining team members, or even vote on our contract. This is a strategic move from management to divide us and weaken our union power.

We also did not hear back from many of our strong proposals that would improve the working conditions within the hospital including one would increase the equity that they claim to prioritize along and another that would decrease the cost of commuting to work. We need management to respond on all our non-economic proposals so we can move on to negotiate our economics, however, they have made it clear that is not their intention.

At the table we pushed back and told management that we won’t allow them to bully us into a bad agreement with this take it or leave it approach. We told them they need to meet us at the table as equals to negotiate a fair contract that addresses the real issues we face daily. 

Still, we know it will take more than our words at the table alone to change their minds. Management needs to see that we are ready to fight for a strong contract and that we don’t have time to waste playing hardball. We need to continue to talk with our coworkers and encourage them to join our Slack and Instagram(@schworkers) so everyone can be informed about upcoming actions we will take to show management we are serious! 

Our next bargaining session will be on January 4. Keep an eye out for more updates, including a summary of all the proposals we have put across the table so far! 

If you want to find out how to get more involved by joining the Contact Action Team or Slack, or you have any questions about bargaining, please call your Union Rep Christie Harris at 206-436-6606

“Today we saw that management is hoping to give us the bare minimum. It is more essential now than ever to be visibly united in front of management through actions and involvement of all departments so that we can garner power and demand the strong contract we deserve.”

— Kellie Koenig, Sonographer

Our SCH Tech bargaining team: Matt Brabant - Respiratory Educator, Madison Derksema - Pharmacy Tech, Angela Ballard – Surgical Tech, Kellie Koenig – Ultrasound Tech, Ashley Strickland – Respiratory Transport, Tyler Schaffer – Anesthesia Tech, Tesfaldet Kidanemariam – Respiratory Therapist 

Seattle Children’s Hospital Tech - Bargaining Begins!

Yesterday, December 14, our team met with management for a productive first bargaining session. We presented management with a flurry of non-economic proposals spanning nine different articles of our contract. These proposals came directly from feedback we heard from our coworkers and aim to address many of the issues we have all been facing at work. 

This included a robust Union Access language proposal, which would ensure that every new hire gets a chance to learn about their union and every worker will be able to be kept up to date on what is happening with their Union; a complete overhaul of our Equal Opportunity language, demanding the management be held accountable to upholding the values of equity they say they are committed to; a new parking and transit policy that would make commuting to and from work significantly more affordable; and several other strong proposals. Management also gave us their initial proposals, which our team has started to work on responses to. We hope to continue making progress on these language proposals in our next session so we can clear the way for our extremely important discussion about economic issues. Keep an eye out for more updates as we have more information to share our next session on Tuesday, December 21. 

We invite you to join our second virtual Contract Action Team meeting, where we will talk about what’s happening at the table in further detail and explain what workers can do to help support our efforts at the table, tomorrow on Thursday, December 16 @ 3:30PM. 

“We proposed some highly requested changes today and we are tentatively hopeful that management will cooperate in passing these desperately needed proposals.”

— Madison Derksema, Pharmacy Tech

Our SCH Tech bargaining team: Matt Brabant - Respiratory Educator, Madison Derksema - Pharmacy Tech, Angela Ballard – Surgical Tech, Kellie Koenig – Ultrasound Tech, Ashley Strickland – Respiratory Transport, Tyler Schaffer – Anesthesia Tech, Tesfaldet Kidanemariam – Respiratory Therapist 

UFCW 21 Member Story: Colleen's Persistence Pays Off

Colleen Morrison, UFCW 21 Member and Vascular Tech at MultiCare

On this week’s #MemberMonday, we are spotlighting Colleen Morrison, UFCW 21 member and Vascular Tech at MultiCare.

In August, Colleen and her coworkers’ new contract was ratified, increasing their wage scale from 14 steps to 18 steps. In October, Colleen reached out to her union rep to explain that she and several of her coworkers had over 15 years of service with MultiCare and had been stuck at step 14 for some time. Colleen expressed concern that they were not being fairly or adequately compensated for their years of service — especially having spent the last two years on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic as essential healthcare workers.

Colleen found that there was no explicit language in the new contract — nor discussion during negotiations — to audit and adjust these steps to account for long-term workers. Colleen and her coworkers contacted upper management and Labor Relations and were persistent in demanding fair compensation. They pointed out that inadequate wages are a major driving force in the safe staffing and retention crisis.

After much discussion and advocacy, MultiCare agreed to a one-time, non-precedent setting audit and step adjustment for all Vascular Tech members (and per diems) that had been stuck at step 14 for over a year. For Colleen, that meant an adjustment from step 14 to step 18 — that’s an hourly increase of more than 7 dollars! Put another way, that’s an additional $36,000+ over the life of the contract. Most importantly, because of Colleen’s persistence, 5 other members and 3 per diems received adjustments as well because Colleen advocated tirelessly for herself and her coworkers. Since this adjustment, Colleen’s husband has also been able to take some time off from work in order to rest his body.

Colleen — congratulations on this victory! We are so inspired by how you stood up for yourself and for your coworkers. #UnionStrong #Solidarity #RespectProtectPay #EssentialWorkers

PRMCE Tech - Management Proposes Economics

Our bargaining team met with management on Friday to receive management’s response to our economic proposal. While we did see a robust initial response, there’s still ground for management to meet our expectations. 

We will share more detail about the proposals at our upcoming Contract Action Meeting on Tuesday, December 7.

“We’re trying to expedite bargaining to get increases in place soon. We have power in this moment as healthcare workers. Now is the time to get involved!”

Sign the Petition for Respect and Retention!

Your PRMCE Tech Bargaining Team: Maria Goodall, Vascular Ultrasound

Darryl Keffer, Respiratory

Rodney Powers, Diagnostic Imaging

Terryl Smith, Pharmacy Tech

PRMCE Pro & Tech - Contract Action Meeting Scheduled for November 15!

We are preparing to start bargaining early for the Providence Everett Pros and Techs. Join us for a virtual contract action meeting on Monday, November 15 at 7PM via Zoom. Come and meet your bargaining teams!

We will talk about what bargaining looks like this year and our priorities at the bargaining table. So that we can have united support for our bargaining teams and contract priorities, members from the professional and technical units will come together for this meeting.

Meeting Details
Monday, November 15 @ 7pm
Details will be emailed out to members

Capital Medical Center Technical Service - Bargaining Continues

“We’re disappointed that MultiCare has decided to focus on takeaways when we should be focusing on solutions to staff our hospital.”

Our Bargaining Team: Adam Swigart, Julie Hinchcliff, Maureen Ciglia 

Your bargaining team met with management again on October 20 and 25 as we continue to negotiate your successor contract.

After conducting a comprehensive market analysis on wages, we finally presented our initial economic proposal to management. Prior to presenting, we had to warn the employer that our proposal to increase wages may be shocking, but that is only because Capitol Medical Center’s wages are shockingly behind other hospitals in the region. 

This problem has dramatically worsened recently as neighboring hospitals have been forced to significantly increase wages to compete in a tight labor market and to keep up with the historic rate of inflation. We told management that we hope MultiCare will be willing to take the necessary actions to correct our low wages that our past employers have failed, or more accurately refused, to take. Your bargaining team is committed to fighting for wage increases that will help relieve our staffing issues and recognize the skyrocketing cost of living. 

Unfortunately, the employer then made a proposal to replace our Paid Time Off (PTO) program with the standard PTO program used throughout MultiCare, which would negatively impact many at Capitol Medical Center. We are not surprised by this proposal, in fact we expected it, but we are severely disappointed that MultiCare has elected to propose a takeaway when we should be focusing on more important issues such as staffing our hospital. We’re also frustrated that they made this proposal when they still haven’t resolved our outstanding issues with PTO after MultiCare took over the hospital. 

Your bargaining team will meet with management again on Monday November 1 and we hope management will have a response to our wage proposal.

Capital Medical Center Technical Service - BARGAINING UPDATE

Your bargaining team kicked off negotiations with management on September 17 and then continued on September 27 and October 13.

At this early stage in negotiations our proposals have primarily focused on non-economic items, with the hope that we can resolve the less-contentious issues before wages dominate the conversation. Our initial proposals addressed issues such as floating, discipline, Extended Illness Bank (EIB)/Paid Time Off (PTO) improvements, and more. 

In the meantime, your bargaining team has been working on a comprehensive market analysis of wages in the region, including other MultiCare facilities such as Tacoma General, as we prepare to make our initial wage proposal in the coming weeks. 

However, management surprised the team on October 13 by making a proposal to significantly change our healthcare premiums. Recognizing that employees at Capitol Medical Center are paying significantly more for healthcare than other MultiCare units, management proposed to align our premium costs to what employees are paying at other facilities. 

The proposed changes to premium rates would include significant savings, with many saving hundreds of dollars every month. In fact, the employee only option on the My Connected Care plan would have no premium, costing the employee absolutely nothing in premium costs! The only plan that would experience a slight increase in costs would be the High Deductible Plan (HDHP), and that is because a new Health Savings Account (HSA) benefit would be added to the plan with the employer contributing annually to the account. 

After extensively reviewing the proposal, your bargaining team has agreed to the changes, which will go into effect starting January 2022. All other details of your benefits plans will remain unchanged (deductibles, co-pays, out of pocket maximums, etc.). The agreed upon changes will be reflected during open enrollment next month, with the option to change your plan by November 30 for plan year 2022.

Changes in healthcare premiums will also apply to the Nurses’ contract, however, since they are not in open contract negotiations they will soon conduct a special membership vote to approve the changes. The technical/service unit will vote when we’ve reached a tentative agreement on the entire contract. 

Your bargaining team will meet with management again on October 20, 25 and November 1, 10, 17. We have signed an extension agreement to ensure all benefits and protections of our contract remain in place as we continue negotiations for a successor agreement. 

“We’re optimistic as MultiCare has taken a more collaborative approach to negotiations compared to our past employers.”

Our Bargaining Team: Adam Swigart, Julie Hinchcliff, Maureen Ciglia