Our RN & Case Manager RN Bargaining Team (L-R): Nicholas White, RN; Sarah Murry, RN; Mary Lou Gustafson, RN; Cory Larsen, RN; Sandy Hegg, Case Management RN; Nicole Joseph, Case Management RN.

On Wednesday, September 11 our Union RN bargaining team & RN Case Manager bargaining team met with MultiCare to continue negotiations on our successor CBA, & to introduce the Case Manager RNs into our union!

On our third bargaining date of the 2024 cycle, we found ourselves waiting- yet again- for responses from MultiCare to our proposals on premiums, wages, & shift differentials, and some other language proposals we put forward. We raised the question to the employer once again to get a read on when we may be able to expect a counter proposal, and they seemed to indicate we could have economic responses as early as our next session.

While we continue to increase the pressure on MultiCare to get us their proposals on economics, we spent our time on the 11 exchanging proposals on the Articles of our Collective Bargaining Agreement that outline our working conditions and general safety on the job; & including an agreement with Management on language which mandates that MultiCare provide parking at the worksite free of charge & as available, to employees.

To add to our overall frustrations with MultiCare; we also have not yet gotten a response back on the initial proposal we made on bringing the Case Manager RNs into our contract. We understand that much of their entry into our Union relates to their pay and PTO, but considering it has been six weeks since we first passed this proposal across the table to MultiCare; we’re feeling our patience run thin!

Our Bargaining Team are confident that the increases we presented were both competitive (in that they aim to bring Auburn Medical Center’s nursing wages current in market consideration) but are also based firmly in regional data; so we will see how MultiCare choose to show AMC RNs their worth on our next bargaining date, scheduled October 16.

Stay tuned for more details, and be ready to stand together and take action.

“Our strength is in our numbers, be ready!” —Nicholas White, RN

“Did we just see the Employer’s shadow!? Hopefully this doesn’t mean five more weeks without a Case Manager proposal…” —Sandra Hegg, Case Manager RN