St. Michael Medical Center RN Contract Vote and Informational Picket!
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On Friday, September 5 our Bargaining Team met with Management to continue negotiations. We began at 9am and stayed until September 6 at 2:30am Unfortunately, in their last proposal that would resolve the remaining issues, we were given a “Best and Final” offer. We are recommending a “no” vote and moving forward with a contract vote and informational picket to highlight our issues and share our message with the community.
We are recommending a “no” vote!
Staffing Ratios: Since Hospital management has consistently rejected hard staffing ratios to ensure patient safety and less burdensome workloads for RNs, we have offered alternative solutions. One of these was binding mediation to resolve staffing complaints that the staffing committee has not resolved, wherein a neutral third party would listen to the solutions offered by workers on the committee and the solutions offered by the Hospital, and then impose one or the other. Hospital management rejected this proposal.
Float Pay: We have also proposed premium pay for RNs who involuntarily float off their unit. This is already in place at other hospitals like MultiCare Tacoma General, VMFH St. Anthony, Providence St. Peter Hospital, Swedish Medical Center. Our Bargaining Team believes that premium pay would help offset some of the stress RNs experience from ongoing understaffing and from being reassigned their home units to cover else-where. Hospital management rejected this proposal.
Safety: While we have managed to get a commitment in negotiations to have a weapons detection system pilot program in the Emergency Department, Management will not commit to an earlier deadline than January 1, 2027. We also learned that fire code prevents locking the units in the new tower. To address safety in the meantime, we proposed bringing in a third-party security firm, but Management rejected this, even though it would not create a mandatory economic impact.
Management’s repeated rejection of solutions shows they are not prioritizing staff or patient safety. Delayed actions in 2027 are not enough when the risks are here today. It’s time for nurses to stand together and show the Hospital that our contract must include real, multipronged solutions to protect staff and patients alike. By voting NO, we send a clear message: our safety and our patients’ safety cannot wait! With a NO vote, we will return to the bargaining table on September 19 and hold an informational picket on September 29.
Vote Information:
Our contract vote will be in-person! To vote you must be a union dues paying member in good standing. If you are a non-member and wish to vote, please sign a union application here: join.ufcw.org/join/3000
If you do not receive our union updates, please check your junk, promotions folder, or re-subscribe/update your information here: ufcw3000.org/update-your-information
Zoom Proposal Overview Meeting:
Thursday, September 11 6pm—7pm Online >>
Contract Vote:
Wednesday, September 17 6AM—9AM and 11AM— 2PM and 6PM—8:30PM at the Garden Room (Iris & Orchid) conference room in the Harlow Building Ground Floor
Informational Picket Information:
Monday, September 29 3:30pm—5pm (Corner of Myhre Rd & Ridgetop Blvd)
Please invite your friends and family! Nurses and Pro/Tech/Service/Maintenance/Dietary staff have the right to attend the informational picket during non-working hours, which includes days off, meal breaks, before and after shifts.
