CommonSpirit St. Joseph Medical Center Technical Unit - Bargaining Update — INFORMATIONAL PICKET ANNOUNCED!
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At our seventh session this contract cycle, our Union Bargaining Team representing the Techs at St. Joseph Medical Center found ourselves almost exactly where we were in our fifth and sixth sessions. After nearly two hours spent waiting on management’s counterproposals, we were again presented with a myriad of rejections, “held” articles—meaning their position had not changed since their previous iteration, which was often the iteration before that or simply existing contract language—and a quarter-of-one-percent (.25%) wage increase since their last proposal, totaling 2.50% in each year.
The Employer did, however, present new language in Article 9.4 regarding current contract language related to how experience credit granted to new hires for placement on the wage scale would trigger a “leapfrog” for current workers. When our team asked about the intent of the Employer’s addition to the Article, it seemed that both teams left with more questions than answers.
Beyond the aggravation caused by the Employer’s responses, we were also made aware of several more situations in which St. Joseph Medical Center management pulled bargaining unit members aside and questioned them about their Union activity and the potential for a serious labor dispute. We made it clear to the Employer at the bargaining table that this conduct is unacceptable, and we demanded that they put a stop to it.
We want to make it clear to all of our coworkers: your boss should not be questioning you about participation in our Union. If you or a coworker have been spoken to about anything related to ongoing negotiations or participation in Union activity, you are strongly encouraged to document the incident and call our Union Rep, Charlie King, at (206) 436-6518.
Our next bargaining date with the Employer is scheduled for August 12. We hope CommonSpirit uses the time between sessions to refocus its priorities on working with us toward a fair contract.
As we said in our previous update: nothing will change unless we take action together. Let’s show St. Joe’s management how unified we are.
Informational Picket
Wed, Aug 19, 2026
2pm - 4pm
St. Joseph Medical Center
1717 S J St
Tacoma, WA 98405
RSVP Now for Our Informational Picket >>
Contract Action Team Meeting
Tues, Aug 4
5:30pm - 6:30pm
Join Zoom Meeting >>
Meeting ID: 811 1026 4685
Passcode: 952476
Workers throughout the hospital have already signed the strike pledge card. If you have not yet, you can sign it by following the link below.
“Not sure what to say if I shouldn’t use profanity … this all just feels incredibly unserious.”
— Vanessa Giles, Certified Surgical Technologist
Bargaining Team: Michelle Gilmore, Respiratory Therapist; Monica Dewitt, Pharmacy Tech; Sissy Allison, Surgical Technologist; Chad Michels, Cardiovascular Technologist; Leslie Ball, Surgical Technologist; Vanessa Giles, Surgical Technologist.
