Macy’s Bargaining Update: Onward to the Info Picket Line!
/“They gave us next to nothing, so we are giving them nothing but pickets!” – Emily Hunter
Read More“They gave us next to nothing, so we are giving them nothing but pickets!” – Emily Hunter
Following the employer’s unacceptable conduct during our previous bargaining session, and the significant distance remaining between the parties, our Union Bargaining Team asked the employer if they would agree to request assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). The employer agreed, and an FMCS mediator was available to join us beginning with this session.
The time has come to make your voices heard! We encourage all Radiant Care workers to attend our scheduled vote meeting to review the full details of our new tentative agreement, ask questions, and cast your ballot!
We still have not gotten wages back from management, though we did discuss a few of the economic sections of our contract: namely after receiving one of the aforementioned underwhelming counterproposals regarding a memorandum of understanding for RNs who perform SANE exams. Which the Employer returned the same iteration of the Memorandum of Understanding proposal they brought to us more than one year ago; which only speaks to the examination itself.
As wildfires rip through our region and smoke chokes the air, UFCW 3000 members, families, and communities face evacuations, and loss of homes and livelihoods.
Some workers could experience partial or total work closures creating difficult circumstances surrounding hours, pay, and life stability
As we navigate this emergency, please remember the union and community resources that can help. Also, please review important information below that can help keep you safe and enforce your rights at work.
We are scheduling a vote on whether to accept or reject an LOU (Letter of Understanding) that would change the language of Article 3.4 in our contract. This is regarding the pay rate for working on Saturday and Sunday.
We asked Management about their low wage proposals for 2027 and 2028. They responded that they weren’t focusing on cost-of-living increases and cited that people want to work at this destination employer because it has such a good culture. What do you think?
The rest of the day built off of that momentum and we were able to secure an agreement with the Employer that is fully recommended by our Union Bargaining Team! This offer includes a 10.5% wage increase over the life of the contract as well as increases and expansions to multiple premium pay options! We also were able to secure improvements to our scheduling language, retroactive pay, and compensation for those who are at the top of the scale.
“We had a productive bargaining meeting and reached several tentative agreements, which is an encouraging sign of the progress we’re making together. While we still have work to do on the non-economic items, the discussion remained constructive. We are hopeful that we will continue building on this momentum and make further progress at our next bargaining session.” – Clari Ramos, Nutrition Pharmacist
Yesterday we met with the Employer for the second time. It was their turn to get back to us on our proposals. After their presentation our team worked the rest of the afternoon to respond to their proposals. See the tentative agreements (TAs) we've reached so far (please keep in mind that nothing is final until all members vote and approved the Contract).
Our member-led Bargaining Team met with representatives from First and Goal on Wednesday, July 22, to continue negotiations for our first union contract.
We are set to meet the Employer again on August 6 and 27. You must become part of this process and ensure that your committee gets the strength and stamina to finish this contract negotiation with the best outcome possible regardless of the hurdles that they are facing at the table.
We believe outsourcing our union jobs to robots will erode our unity in the worksite, reduce available hours for those who need them to pay the rent, and threaten the stability of our benefits.
Last Friday we met with the Employer for the first time. The Employer presented their initial set of non-economic proposals. Our Bargaining Committee studied their proposals, formulated counterproposals, and introduced an additional non-economic set of proposals.
On Monday, July 20, following a series of well-attended vote meetings, our MultiCare Capital Medical Center Professionals Bargaining Team is overjoyed to announce that our First Ever Union Contract has been ratified!
Through perseverance, dedication, and solidarity, we have transformed MultiCare Capital Medical Center and are proudly UNION REPRESENTED PROFESSIONALS!
We started our sixth day of union contract negotiations with proposals in our court, which we began with a new cadence that we thought a might help our discussions get across and reach the Employer. While we did reach a few new Tentative Agreements (a three-year duration on our contract, clarity around suggesting new premium-eligible certifications through Labor Management Committee, and the removal of some old language referencing an effective date from three years in the past…), I’m sure you can imagine, these aren’t the topics of discussion which our Bargaining Team and coworkers at SJMC care the most about.
We now have contract that gives us a stronger voice on the job, and we can now stand together with our Union siblings from Spokane in our next bargaining cycle.
Our new Union contract includes several workplace protections, as well as increased wages, premium wages, a union wage scale with wage escalators between each step of the scale, a pension, and stronger safety language! All of those provisions go into effect immediately.
On July 17, workers at Payless Foods in Freeland voted and overwhelmingly ratified our new Grocery and Meat Contracts! Our member led Bargaining Team negotiated a two year contract that gets us back to the table sooner to keep ahead of inflation.
Our Union Bargaining Team met with the Employer again on July 16, to continue negotiations for our next Union contract. Given the Employer’s conduct during recent sessions, we did not expect significant progress. Unfortunately, we were proven right.
On Tuesday and Wednesday July 14th and 15th our Union bargaining committee and FEEST management met again to continue negotiating your first Collective Bargaining Agreement. We made progress on several issues and were able to come to agreements on the following: Immigration; Gender Identity; Performance Review; Whistleblower Policy; Secure Workplace; and No Strike No Lockout. We are awaiting FEEST’s full PTO counter proposals, and a wage counter proposal to move forward with the economics of our bargaining.
“They gave us next to nothing, so we are giving them nothing but pickets!” – Emily Hunter
Read MoreFollowing the employer’s unacceptable conduct during our previous bargaining session, and the significant distance remaining between the parties, our Union Bargaining Team asked the employer if they would agree to request assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). The employer agreed, and an FMCS mediator was available to join us beginning with this session.
Read More
We had another productive day at the bargaining table on July 31 and are pleased to share that we made our counterproposals to management. Throughout the session, we had strong back-and-forth conversations that were thoughtful, collaborative, and focused on finding solutions.
While we aren't at the end zone yet, we're feeling optimistic. The progress we made today gives us confidence that we're on the path to reaching a strong first contract—one that recognizes the value of our work and reflects the priorities that are most important to us.
Your solidarity and support will make the difference as we build this first contract. We'll keep pushing to secure a fair agreement that delivers the wages, protections, and respect workers deserve. We are stronger together, and we encourage workers to get involved and take ownership of their contract.
Interested in getting involved, learning more about your rights as Union members, and getting all the up-to-date information about negotiations?
Join us for our member meetings:
August 5 @ 7pm
Contact your Union Rep, Allison:
206-436-6586
We still have not gotten wages back from management, though we did discuss a few of the economic sections of our contract: namely after receiving one of the aforementioned underwhelming counterproposals regarding a memorandum of understanding for RNs who perform SANE exams. Which the Employer returned the same iteration of the Memorandum of Understanding proposal they brought to us more than one year ago; which only speaks to the examination itself.
Read More
Management has proposed cutting the wages of some workers who were hired above scale when they are placed into our Union wage scale. While management has proposed placing all workers on the wage scale at a rate of pay that reflects their years of service—which is good—this proposal to cut the wages of some workers is not fair and comes across as Union busting.
We have been working hard to achieve wage placement that creates wage equity without wage cuts. Let’s stand united for wage placements that are fair to everyone.
Our message is clear:
Stop Union Busting—No Wage Cuts at MultiCare!
For more information, talk to Bargaining Team Members or Union Organizer Ondrea Shallbetter at (360) 409-0337.
Bargaining Team: Kristina Matushevskaya, Timeka Gist, and Violet Barkley.
“No member left behind—because when one of us moves forward, we all move forward together.”
— Timeka Gist
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.
Wed, Aug 19, 2026
2pm - 4pm
St. Joseph Medical Center
1717 S J St
Tacoma, WA 98405
RSVP Now for Our Informational Picket >>
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.
our Union Bargaining Team: Preston McInnis, Macy’s Southcenter; Ismahan Osman, Macy’s Southcenter; Curtice Bryant, Macy’s Southcenter; Samantha Wilson, Macy’s Bellingham; Jill Jackson, Macy’s Furniture Gallery Southcenter; Emily Hunter, Macy’s Alderwood; Daniel Landon, Macy’s Alderwood
Over two days of bargaining, Macy's executives increased their wage offer by a single, solitary nickel.
And to be clear, they're not offering one nickel more per year. They're offering one nickel more over the entire three years of the next union contract.
Just 👏🏻one👏🏻NICKEL! 🤬
Though the executives showed some progress when they withdrew a proposal to assign Flex Associates mandatory hours, they're still proposing the following takeaways:
Eliminating the wage scale for new hires that helps members get established in the first two years of the contract before receiving our General Wage Increases in their third year;
Seizing the ability to change our health care plan at any time during the contract;
Nix our perfect attendance PTO reward;
A nickel is unacceptable in a country where grocery prices are up 33% (since 2019), gas prices are up double digits, and we're all struggling to make ends meet.
The time has come to show Macy’s what we are worth by taking action!
Join us for an informational picket-making party Thursday, Aug 6:
UFCW 3000 Union Hall 23040 Pacific Highway South, Des Moines, WA 98198, 10 am
Talk to your rep or bargaining team member
Let's come together to educate our communities about our fight for better wages and better stores -- and show Macy’s execs that we won’t settle for anything less than a fair contract!
Bargaining Team: Kristen Crowder, Kimball Conlon, Carrie Rimel, Stephanie Sausman, Tulena Lammers, Terry Pierce, Scott Ryan, and Juan Stout.
“Our team had many small wins while working toward our end goals: staffing and retention for nurses and patients in our community. We had many productive conversations to share perspectives on high-priority issues. Let’s keep up the pressure and support the Bargaining Team.”
This week, our team bargained on two back-to-back dates, July 27–28. We had highly productive sessions and made significant progress on language wins while narrowing proposals.
We continued deep discussions on staffing language, low census, meal and rest breaks, competitive wages, and licensure and education benefits. We met with Providence to discuss barriers to accessing our education benefits and how the process can be improved so more nurses can access their benefits. We reached a tentative agreement on language that assures leave and reimbursement requests will not be unreasonably denied and that nurses will be reimbursed up to the contractual benefit regardless of budgetary constraints. We also discussed ways to educate nurses and leadership about the application and approval process.
There were lengthy discussions regarding missed meal and rest breaks and how to best assure that nurses are actually receiving breaks. Providence believes that all nurses are reporting their received breaks accurately and believes that the two units with the highest percentage of missed breaks are the Emergency Department and Labor and Delivery. We are working to find solutions, but we need all nurses to report missed breaks to support our Bargaining Team’s efforts at the table.
We return to the bargaining table on August 31 and September 1.
Tues, Aug 4, and Tues, Aug 18
8pm
Our team will share highlights and tentative agreements reached in our updates. Join us for the Contract Action Team meetings to dig into the details.
Note: Our team is being transparent about proposals throughout the bargaining process, and the final recommended agreement may not include these items.
Competitive wages for recruitment and retention
Improvements to staffing and Staffing Committee language
Emergent Needs Coverage Pay
Break relief solutions
Improvements to the assignment of low census, including clarification and mitigation for excessive low census
Low Census Standby will be offered to nurses placed on low census
Improvements to Charge premium
Pension plan in addition to the current 401k retirement plan
Definition of Christmas Eve nights and weekends for night-shift nurses
Adding floats to Skills Departments and Units, Exhibit B
Weekend premium moving from $4.00 to $4.20 on April 30, 2027
Study prep time allowed outside of scheduled work time
Immigration and ICE Enforcement MOU
Nurse education and licensure
All updates can be found on our website! >>
Continue to wear your Yellow and Blue Union colors.
We have the right to wear our Union bandanas, swag, and colors—let’s get creative and have fun with it.
File with L&I for missed meal breaks: Healthcare Workers Complaint >>
Questions, or want to find out how you can get involved? Contact a member of the Bargaining Team or Union Rep Anthony Cantu at 206-436-6566.
Bargaining Team: Susan Mayer, Cook; Pamela Reese, EVS.
On July 21, our Union Bargaining Team met with the Employer and received its response to our latest economic proposal. While the Employer’s offer was disappointing, the session still resulted in meaningful progress.
After reviewing the Employer’s proposal, our team returned to work and finalized a major health care proposal that we have been developing behind the scenes for weeks. If accepted by the Employer, this proposal would significantly reduce what workers pay for health insurance while also substantially lowering deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs.
The proposal would provide Service and Dietary workers with the same health insurance plan currently available to the Pro-Tech unit, the Sound Health & Wellness Trust, creating long-overdue parity between the two bargaining units.
The comparison below shows the potential savings under the proposed Sound Health & Wellness Trust.
| Healthcare Cost Comparison | Biweekly Employee Premiums (each paycheck) | Deductible | Out-of-Pocket Maximums | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employee Only | Employee + Child(ren) | Employee + Spouse | Family Plan | Individual | Family | Individual | Family | ||
| Sound Health & Wellness Trust | Kaiser HMO | $18.00 | $26.00 | $38.00 | $46.00 | $750 | $1,500 | $2,750 | $5,500 |
| Premera PPO | $22.00 | $34.00 | $46.00 | $50.00 | $750 | $1,500 | $2,750 | $5,500 | |
| Employer's Current Medical Plan Options | Integrated Core | $68.02 | $192.26 | $161.32 | $277.59 | $1,500 | $3,000 | $6,000 | $12,000 |
| Integrated Basic | $20.00 | $139.39 | $114.84 | $196.77 | $2,500 | $5,000 | $6,600 | $13,200 | |
| Integrated HDHP | $0.00 | $85.53 | $72.40 | $126.62 | $3,400 | $6,800 | $6,450 | $12,900 | |
| Sound Health & Wellness Trust premiums include medical, dental, and vision coverage and are the same for all eligible workers, regardless of hours worked. The Employer rates shown are full-time medical premiums only; dental and vision coverage cost extra. Part-time employees pay higher premiums under the Employer’s plans than the rates listed above. | |||||||||
Sound Health & Wellness Trust premiums include medical, dental, and vision coverage and are the same for all eligible workers, regardless of hours worked. The Employer rates shown are full-time medical premiums only; dental and vision coverage cost extra. Part-time employees pay higher premiums under the Employer’s plans than the rates listed above.
Furthermore, the Sound Health & Wellness Trust only requires 60 hours in a month to qualify for employee-only coverage or 80 hours in a month to qualify for dependent coverage. The plan costs the same for all workers, regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time.
Combined with market-based wage increases and improvements to shift, weekend, and other premiums, these health care changes would go a long way toward addressing the hospital’s ongoing recruitment and retention problems.
We left the meeting encouraged by management’s initial response to the proposal. While the Employer has not yet agreed to these changes, management expressed a willingness to continue the conversation. Our Bargaining Team is excited to keep pushing toward what could be a truly historic improvement for workers covered by this contract.
August 5
We look forward to receiving the Employer’s response to our proposed health care changes.
“I feel that this day is going to go down in history.”
— Susan Mayer
On July 27, we held our second bargaining session with the Employer. We’re pleased to share that management arrived with its first counterproposal to our initial proposals. After a long and productive caucus, we made substantial progress toward our first tentative agreements.
We’re optimistic and excited to continue collaborating toward a contract that benefits both our members and Broadcast. We concluded Day 2 with clear next steps for the proposals on the table.
Our next date for bargaining is Thursday, August 13, and the details for our next member meeting will be finalized shortly. We’re proud of our preparation and look forward to more positive dialogue.
We are scheduling a vote on whether to accept or reject an LOU (Letter of Understanding) that would change the language of Article 3.4 in our contract. This is regarding the pay rate for working on Saturday and Sunday.
Read MoreWe asked Management about their low wage proposals for 2027 and 2028. They responded that they weren’t focusing on cost-of-living increases and cited that people want to work at this destination employer because it has such a good culture. What do you think?
Read More
Labcorp is extremely out of touch. The Employer is coming to us with very few solutions and very little movement, and it stormed out of our session. The Employer claims it has “come to the table in the spirit of trying to reach an agreement that provides fair compensation and a positive workplace for Labcorp workers.” Still, it called our wage proposals “crazy,” “insane,” and “unreasonable.”
Instead of its previously meager first-year offer of a 1.5% increase, the Employer is now offering a 1.75% increase. The Employer is also unwilling to commit to promptly fixing paycheck issues that have been widespread and ongoing, negatively affecting low-wage workers who are already struggling to make ends meet.
Labcorp UFCW 3000 members will start organizing a series of gradually escalating actions.
“We’re the first-place division, but they don’t want to compensate us for our hard work.”
— Lisa
“I’m sad and frustrated. They walked away from the table because we called them out on not being willing to bring solutions.”
— Sam
It is time for us to show the Employer that we are strong and willing to stand together. Please attend a Contract Action Team meeting at 7pm on Tuesday to hear more about bargaining and discuss future actions.
July 28, 2026 - 7pm Contract Action Team Meeting
Meeting ID: 873 1725 6986
Passcode: 169221
Negotiations will take place on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
Bargaining Team: Shelby Tyner, Serenity MacLennan, Kyle Chrisman, Lisa McGee, Sam McVay, Grace Nagamatsu, Erin Vaughn, David Trujillo, Union Rep; and Cesar R Quiles-Borrero, Negotiator.
If you have questions or would like to get more involved in organizing a fair contract, please reach out to our Union Rep, David Trujillo, at 206-436-6606 or 1-866-210-3000, ext. 6606.
“We had a productive bargaining meeting and reached several tentative agreements, which is an encouraging sign of the progress we’re making together. While we still have work to do on the non-economic items, the discussion remained constructive. We are hopeful that we will continue building on this momentum and make further progress at our next bargaining session.” – Clari Ramos, Nutrition Pharmacist
Read MoreYesterday we met with the Employer for the second time. It was their turn to get back to us on our proposals. After their presentation our team worked the rest of the afternoon to respond to their proposals. See the tentative agreements (TAs) we've reached so far (please keep in mind that nothing is final until all members vote and approved the Contract).
Read MoreOur member-led Bargaining Team met with representatives from First and Goal on Wednesday, July 22, to continue negotiations for our first union contract.
Read MoreWe are set to meet the Employer again on August 6 and 27. You must become part of this process and ensure that your committee gets the strength and stamina to finish this contract negotiation with the best outcome possible regardless of the hurdles that they are facing at the table.
Read MoreWe believe outsourcing our union jobs to robots will erode our unity in the worksite, reduce available hours for those who need them to pay the rent, and threaten the stability of our benefits.
Read MoreLast Friday we met with the Employer for the first time. The Employer presented their initial set of non-economic proposals. Our Bargaining Committee studied their proposals, formulated counterproposals, and introduced an additional non-economic set of proposals.
Read MoreOn Monday, July 20, following a series of well-attended vote meetings, our MultiCare Capital Medical Center Professionals Bargaining Team is overjoyed to announce that our First Ever Union Contract has been ratified!
Through perseverance, dedication, and solidarity, we have transformed MultiCare Capital Medical Center and are proudly UNION REPRESENTED PROFESSIONALS!
We are the Union. The members of UFCW 3000 are over 50,000 members working in grocery, retail, health care, meat packing, cannabis, & other industries across Washington state, north-east Oregon, and northern Idaho. UFCW 3000 is a chartered member of UFCW International with over 1.4 million workers in North America.
To build a powerful Union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and in our communities.
Jenny C., a transporter at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, knows what it looks like when management hopes a problem will just go away.
Jenny has watched the facility's transport elevators malfunction for more than a year, filing report after report after each incident she witnessed. Supervisors did not appear to take these complaints seriously.
Fresenius workers can see in Trevino’s story what solidarity looks like in action: Checking your check, speaking up when something's wrong, and stepping up to lead when your coworkers need you.