Northwest Center
Steps in the Right Direction

We spent the bargaining session on May 17 discussing in depth some of the most important priorities of early supports: caseloads, the right to remote work, geographic location assignments, and onboarding and mentorship.

Northwest Center struck down our language around remote work and geographic assignments and we highlighted that this is a major priority for Union members. The back-and-forth conversation showed us that we do have some shared interests with Northwest Center, but to win the language we want around these topics, we are going to need to show solidarity and take action together.

Our Bargaining Team pushed for clarity around the financial future of Northwest Center. Early Supports Leadership assured us that they are NOT for sale and have no plans to sell in the future. They were not willing to provide any details regarding the purpose of the meeting on Wednesday, May 24. We requested that our Union Rep Ian Jacobson be included in the meeting.

Bargaining resumes in June and we will continue conversations about caseloads and remote work. Our team will be meeting with SEIU Early Learning Union members to support one another in our fights for fair first contracts. Stay tuned for information on next steps and solidarity actions!

“We are excited about the progress we made with Onboarding, Orientation, and Mentorship Program. Our team spent a lot of time crafting these proposals and Management responded positively to our ideas. There is still more work to be done, but language is moving in the right direction.”

- Our Northwest Center
UFCW 3000 Bargaining Team
Jenica Barrett, Speech Language Pathologist; Cassie Villarreal, Speech Language Pathologist; Kimmy Burns, Physical Therapist; Julia Szilard, Physical Therapist (not pictured)

Join your coworkers for the next Contract Action Team meeting on Zoom!
Monday, May 22 @ 12:30—1:30pm

Contact Bargaining Team or Union Rep for meeting details

Read our Join Solidarity Statement with SEIU 925 at:
bit.ly/NWC-Solidarity23

For questions or to get more involved, contact your Bargaining Team Stewards or Union Rep Ian Jacobson, 206-436-6550.