Skagit Regional Health Stay United! Bargaining Update

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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 Major; Alina Delano; Michael Schwartz, Daniel Booker (Hospice of the Northwest), Celia Ponce-Sanchez, Union Rep

Over the last eight months, we have engaged in multiple discussions with the Hospital and have reiterated our intention to negotiate the best contract possible.. Our team has presented over 140 proposals, and so far, we have tentative agreements on more than 50 percent of them. On Thursday, we continued that path. We presented our non-economic packages to address three pending items. At the end of the day, we had only one pending non-economic item regarding Changes to Posted Schedule.

The following economic items were discussed at the table on Thursday:

  • Across-the-board wage increases

  • Market Adjustments to over 120 classifications

  • Reallocation

  • Preceptor Pay

  • Variables

  • Premium Pay

  • PTO Matrix

  • Bonus Shift

  • Early Retirement

We will continue discussing the above topics and some other pending items today, with the goal of reaching an agreement. One of the biggest concerns for our bargaining team is that the Hospital wants to take away a large portion of the current Early Retirement benefits. A comprehensive request for information has been submitted to quantify the magnitude of the Hospital proposal.

At the end of Thursday’s session, we delivered a notification we will hold an Informational Picket at the Hospital on Thursday, April 16th, if we do not reach an agreement today, An Informational Picket is not a strike and we may participate on our breaks, lunch, and before or after work. It’s peaceful, fun, and a way to share our message with patients and the community. Everyone is encouraged to join and invite family and friends.

Our bargaining team delivered the notification with the following message: "We just want to be very clear, our goal is to still reach a fair agreement at the table, and we’re hopeful that progress can be made at our next session on April 6, but at the same time, our members are prepared to take action in solidarity."

Our bargaining team message to all the workers is: "We received an offer today that falls well below expectations and does not reflect member priorities. Your engagement and support remain critical as we continue pushing for a fair agreement. We’ll keep you updated on next steps."

If you have questions or want to help organize for a fair contract, reach out to your Union Rep, Marilyn Faber, at 1-866-210-3000, Ext. 4678.