Fresenius Medical Care - Frustration Comes to a Head at Fresenius Bargaining

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Fresenius bargaining team is not amused with the wage proposals made by management (from left: Maria Lucas, PCT 2; Jovona Trevino, PCT 2; and Krista Smith, PCT 2).

We met with Fresenius management again on Friday to hear their long-awaited response to our economic proposals. We were excited to learn management agreed to add the GO4RN program to the contract so that any PCTs participating in the program will receive a 5% wage increase for each quarter of the program completed. They also made progress toward agreeing to add the PCT 3 position and its higher wages to the contract.

The excitement quickly faded when we learned that they rejected our longevity bonus proposal outright and, in terms of wage increases, are proposing a measly 1.5% raise on ratification, then a 1.5% raise in 2026 and another 1.5% raise in 2027. Even as management's very first wage proposal, 1.5% feels like a slap in the face. They also wholly rejected our reasonable proposals on safer patient scheduling and worker protections from harassment by difficult patients.

The fight is far from over. If you too are frustrated reading this, then join us at our next CAT meeting this Sunday, August 3 at the University Place branch of the Pierce County Library from 3:30-4:30pm and on Zoom. Your team will be there to talk about our last bargaining session and what we plan to do between now and the next bargaining date, August 18. We will be debuting a petition to demand that management take our bargaining proposals seriously on real wage increases and on safe patient scheduling. We'll also discuss actions we can take individually and as a team to show Fresenius we're united and we're not backing down. Reach out to your Rep Charlie or a bargaining team member with any concerns about the meeting or Zoom link. We'll see you there!

CAT Meeting

August 3
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
University Place Branch of the Pierce County Library

  • 3609 Market Place W., Suite 100

  • University Place, WA 98466

"A 1.5% raise is just not going to cut it considering they just passed the highest tax increase in history. We deserve better."

— Krista Smith, PCT 2, bargaining team

Fresenius Puyallup team shows solidarity (From left: Tami Gordon, PCT 2; Anabelle Moran, PCT 2; and Susie McAlpine, PCT 2)