Skagit Regional Health Bargaining Update

Our Union Bargaining Team: Marilyn Faber, Union Rep; Cindy Tjaden; Isabel Contreras; Kalisa Dolph; Britney Myers-Fuller; Ashley Price; Briana Hovsepian; Graydon Hingey; Michael Koenig; Annalise Pasillas; Elizabeth Mayor; Alina Delano; Micheal Schwartz

On November 6 and 14, our Union Bargaining Team met with the Employer to continue contract negotiations.

On the 6, we presented our full economic proposal, which includes fair wage increases and market wage adjustments, a stronger step progression, improvements to premium pay, and updates to PTO.

Management reacted strongly to our wage proposal and said it as “very aggressive.” When we met again on the 14, we had good discussions and walked through the data behind our market wage research so they understood how we reached our numbers.

We know the economic reality workers are living in. Skagit Regional Health operates over 30 clinics and 2 hospitals in our region, and we believe Skagit can and should be a leader in recruiting and retaining the skilled staff our community depends on.

“We want to be the destination that people come to work at, not the stepping stone.” – Ashley Price, Union Bargaining Team Member

We also addressed Variable FTEs. In the last contract, the Employer committed to making a good-faith effort to reduce variable positions. However, the number of variable FTEs has only increased. This remains a key issue, and we are committed to fixing this language and creating more stability for workers.

“We delivered 11 pages of bold economic proposals and took the first step toward fixing variable language. Your bargaining team is fighting hard for the value you bring every day.” - Elizabeth Mayor, Union Bargaining Team Member

Next bargaining session: Wednesday, December 10

NEXT CONTRACT ACTION TEAM MEETINGS:

November 24 from 6pm – 7pm at the UFCW 3000 Mount Vernon office, 1510 N 18th St Mt. Vernon, WA 98273

December 8 from 6pm – 7pm at the UFCW 3000 Mount Vernon office, 1510 N 18th St Mt. Vernon, WA 98273

Don’t forget: CAT meetings will be every other Monday until the contract is ratified, same time, same location unless otherwise noted.

If you have questions or would like to get more involved, please reach out to Union Rep, Marilyn Faber, at 1-866-210-3000, EXT. 4678.