MultiCare - United at MultiCare
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We are the thousands of UFCW 3000 members at MultiCare Health Systems. We provide care for our patients every day. As we say, “We put the Care in MultiCare.” But for years we have known that there are thousands of workers at MultiCare who are not part of our union but could be. Over the past year, more and more workers are joining together in UFCW 3000. Just last week 138 more officially joined at the Mary Bridge Therapies. And 32 PROs at Cap Medical Center who joined last year are in their first contract bargain. And 15 more at the Women’s Clinic will begin to bargain their first contract soon.
“Since we won our union at MultiCare, they have dragged their feet in negotiations for a first contract. Now, after a year of hard bargaining, they appear willing to move on some major items – but ONLY if we accept terms that weaken our power before we even get started. If we’re patient, stand together and refuse to be played, we can overcome this hurdle and get the contract we need. MultiCare fought us when we tried to form our union, and now they want us to accept a contract that weakens our ability to defend and improve our working conditions. We need to stay strong. We work in the same hospital. We need the same rights.”
— Ruyang He, Pharmacist, one of 32 PROs negotiating for a first contract with MultiCare
Having more members is part of what we need to build our power so we can sit down and negotiate with MultiCare on issues that impact all workers and our community—safety, staffing, benefits, and wages that result in recruitment and retention. Another part is ensuring all contracts maintain our most basic rights, including Union Security. Union Security is a foundational clause in all of our MultiCare contracts, and it is what allows us to build power as a union and negotiate better contracts with this Employer. Without that clause, our union would become weaker over time.
Right now MultiCare is trying to deny that right to the newly organized PROs at Cap Med Center, who are going back into bargaining on June 29. We all support the UFCW 3000 workers at Capital Medical Center when they say “Same Hospital. Same Rights.”
“It’s such great news that 32 Pros at Cap Medical are growing our union and bargaining a first contract. Getting a first contract settled with MultiCare can be tough because they don’t like giving up their unchallenged power over our wages and working conditions. Union Security is a basic standard that we have in all 18 of our union contracts with MultiCare. Union Security means we have true shared power—and that’s why MultiCare is trying to deny it to the Pros at Capital Medical Center. No way! Same Hospital. Same Rights.”
— Dennis Verellen, RN, Capital Medical Center
“Union security in a contract is like management rights. Union security allows us to be a union. Management rights allow MultiCare to run their hospital. MultiCare would never let us tell them how to run their hospitals. And we can never let them tell us how to run our union by denying union security. They’ve decided to pick on you because you’re just thirty-two Pros at Cap Medical and you are rightfully determined to set high standards in your first union contract. But since you voted to form your union, you’re no longer thirty-two—you’ve become part of the thousands of UFCW 3000 health care workers at MultiCare. We stand with you.”
— Patricia Brown, LPN, Tacoma General
And this current battle for a fair contract is connected to all of our contracts. We need to begin coming together and getting ready for 2027. Stay tuned for more information as this campaign grows and as more and more workers at MultiCare join our union.
Preparing for 2027
We are preparing for the big 2027 MultiCare bargains, and part of that preparation is standing in solidarity with our coworkers who are fighting for first contracts.
If you know of others at MultiCare who want to join UFCW 3000, please contact a UFCW 3000 Union Organizer by calling or texting 206-414-9601.
Learn more about organizing your union >>
If you have questions about what you can do to build power for your contract so we can negotiate improved safety, staffing, pay, benefits and protect our rights at work, contact your Union Reps:
Penny Cramer, 206-436-6559
Ian Jacobson, 206-436-6550
Charlie King, 206-436-6518
“This has been a long, hard process for the Pros. And they didn’t come all this way to let MultiCare take away your power at the starting line. We’ve had hard bargains with MultiCare before, and we know how to bring them around. We can’t get everything we want, but we sure won’t allow them to take away what we need. And we need Union Security. Stay strong. We’ve got each other’s back. Same Hospital. Same Rights!”
— Demarious Jenkins, Dietary Tech, Capital Medical Center
“The PROs have been in bargaining for a year. MultiCare made them wait, wait, and wait some more for a serious response to your proposals. And now they’re saying they’ll give PROs lots of stuff if they just give up Union Security. Why? Because they want to permanently weaken our union by picking on this newly organized group. They tried things like this with us at Tacoma General. But we stood firm on the things we absolutely needed, and we won a strong contract, including union security. It is imperative that we maintain our Union Security and stand strong in solidarity with all our union co-workers throughout the MultiCare system.”
— Gregg Barney, Print Shop Operator, Tacoma General
“MultiCare is not being honest with you. When MultiCare tries to push a contract without Union Security, we need to be careful and patient, or they’ll take one of the foundations of our power—union security. We are united in support of the PROs. Unless everyone is included in a union contract, all our contracts are at risk of becoming weaker. Union Security is a basic standard in all of our union’s contracts with MultiCare.”
— Alex Kolva, Nutritionist, Tacoma General
