“MultiCare’s disrespectful behavior leaves us with no choice but to take action!”
-Bargaining Team: Adam Swigart, Julie Hinchcliff, and Maureen Ciglia

Your Bargaining Team met with Management again on November 17 and December 8 to continue negotiations for your successor contract.

After much delay, the Employer finally provided an economic counteroffer that included increases to wages and various differentials. It was not worth the wait. Management’s proposal not only fails to bring our wages to market standards, but it also fails to consider today’s historic inflation rate that has caused the price of everything from groceries to gasoline to skyrocket. 

MULTICARE’S CURRENT OFFER
Year 1 - 5.25%
Year 2 - 1.50%
Year 3 - 1.50%

MultiCare acknowledged in our meeting that LifePoint (your previous Employer) had a very different style of management that focused on depressing workers’ wages, which resulting in today’s uncompetitive wage scales. However, in the same breath, Management stated that they do not plan on fixing the problem with this contract, willing to maintain the status quo of low wages at Capital Medical Center for the next three years.

Your Bargaining Team challenged them by pointing out that we are in a staffing crisis that is in most part caused by wages. We also reminded them that we’re currently going through what is now being called the “Great Resignation,” with employees easily finding new jobs with significantly higher pay and oftentimes a hefty signing bonus. Failure to raise our wages to market competitive rates will likely lead to many employees looking for positions elsewhere.

To make matters worse, MultiCare has also maintained their demands for contractual takeaways. They continue to demand that we cut your Extended Illness Bank (EIB) accruals by about 40%, adopt a new PTO system that would negatively impact nearly 50 employees, and remove the day after Thanksgiving as a paid holiday.

MultiCare cannot place the blame on LifePoint when MultiCare is the one refusing to offer fair wage increases, when MultiCare is proposing benefit takeaways, and when MultiCare is refusing to invest in Capital Medical Center. So long as they continue this behavior, MultiCare will continue to fail our community.

We will meet with the employer again on December 20 and are working to schedule additional dates into the new year.

Next Steps:

• Stand up against MultiCare by reaching out to a Bargaining Team member or Union Representative to get “MultiCare is failing our Community” stickers that you can wear in your workplace.

• Sign the online petition demanding a fair contract! https://bit.ly/CMC-Petition

• 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 TONIGHT, December 15 @ 6 PM.

  
  CMC Contract Action Team Meeting
  Wednesday, December 15 @ 6 PM
  Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for Zoom details. Details will be emailed out.