It has come to the Union’s attention that MultiCare has implemented a Salaried Regional Labor Pool and a new Mandatory In-House Floating Policy. 

The Salaried Regional Labor Pool was created last month, which provided salaried non-union workers significant incentives to perform our bargaining unit work. At no point did the Employer provide notice to the Union regarding this change. It is our position that such actions are violations of our contracts, which prohibit non-union workers from performing our work with only a few specific exceptions (per diem, travelers). We’re frustrated that management has decided to not only violate our contract, but also pay large incentives to the salaried workers that could have otherwise been paid to our members to work the extra shifts. 

We also have significant concerns about the Employer’s new Mandatory In-House floating policy, which will result in employees being mandated to float outside the limitations of our contracts. The employer has already admitted that this new policy will likely result in violations, and they seek to reach a special agreement to grant them flexibility. Despite their request for a special agreement, management has already implemented the program before we’ve even had a chance to meet and bargain over the policy.  

The Union sent cease and desist letters to MultiCare regarding both the Salaried Regional Labor Pool and Mandatory In-House floating policy; however, they have stated their intention to disregard our requests. Consequently, the Union has filed grievances against the Employer demanding that members be made whole for any lost hours/wages as a result of these violations. We’ve also informed the Employer that we reserve the right to file unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) over their actions. 

While we understand and share the Employer’s concerns about the large patient census driven by the current surge in COVID-19, we firmly disagree that such conditions warrant violations of our contracts nor waive the Employer’s obligation to bargain over a change in our member’s working conditions before implementation. We are committed to working together with the utmost urgency to come to an agreement over these matters in a way that ensures the community continues to receive high quality care while, at the same time, honoring Management’s obligations under our contracts.

We are scheduled to meet with the Employer early next week to discuss these matters further.