MultiCare Auburn MC RN & Case Manager RN Accretion Bargaining Update—Sending A Message

On Wednesday, January 22, our Auburn Medical Center RN & Case Manager RN bargaining team met with MultiCare for our tenth bargaining session of this contract cycle.

During this session, we felt a significant shift in the balance of power. The energy and solidarity from our well-attended Informational Picket just days prior were still palpable. When we met with MultiCare in the afternoon to present our counter proposals- we also shared that in just six days' time more than 180 nurses had signed our strike pledge...

52%!

This turnout is nothing short of extraordinary, and even at the time this update is being written, that number continues to grow.

Sharing this with MultiCare sent a powerful message: Auburn Medical Center nurses are fed up, and ready to take action. For far too long, our concerns have been ignored, dismissed, or brushed aside- and paired with five months of rejected proposals aimed at addressing the severe staffing shortages and improving recruitment and retention- we are demanding the respect and attention we deserve.

In response to our renewed strength and resolve, management responded with urgency, and requested that we schedule additional bargaining sessions as soon as available. Our bargaining team agree that this next session will determine our path forward. We are hopeful that MultiCare show up ready to work, and ready to bargain in good faith to get RNs and RN Case Managers at AMC the fair contract we deserve.

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Rosauers - We Have a Fully Recommended Agreement! Contract Vote Scheduled Soon

Your coworker-led bargaining committee met with Rosauers on January 8 and 9 and reached a fully recommended settlement with some great improvements.

We will send dates out soon!

Highlights from the new agreement:
 

• Significant above-area grocery standard wage increases.

• New pay scales for improving Appendix B, C, and D wage classifications.

• Added pension benefits as well as improved vacation and benefit language.

• An improved meat cutter apprenticeship program will be implemented to secure longevity in the industry and protect Meat Department work.

• Improvements to sick leave, bereavement leave, vacation, and other benefits.

• Improved opportunities for more Rosauers employees to join and grow the strength of our union for future negotiations.

Samaritan Health RN - New Three-Year Contract Ratified with Unanimous Vote on January 6, 2025

After two sessions of bargaining and countless hours of hard work and dedication put in by our bargaining team, we were able to recommend and ratify our new contract which included competitive wages, increases to many premiums with additional premiums for those that go above the minimum requirements which we believe will help recruit and retain qualified Nurses.

We look forward to building on the foundation that we have strengthened and unified during these negotiations. We are calling on all nurses to get involved and share the responsibility in building a strong union within our facilities and show Samaritan Health that we will not be divided in our fight for a fair contract that recognizes and respects all of our hard work and dedication.

Please contact your bargaining team or Union Rep Amy Radcliff at (509) 340-7370 with any questions or concerns.

Your Bargaining Team:

• Babette Donnelly, RN ER

• Kina Treiber, RN Mother Baby

• Ruth Cammack, RN Mother Baby

• Teresa Erickson, RN ICU

• Russell Roden, RN Clinic

MultiCare Auburn Medical Center RN & RN Case Managers Bargaining Update - THINGS ARE HEATING UP!

Our bargaining team for Auburn Medical Center RNs and RN Case Managers met with MultiCare on Thursday, January 2, marking the eighth day of negotiations this cycle.

Following our previous session with management on December 11, and a highly attended Contract Action Team meeting on December 16, our team was empowered and eager to continue pushing for a strong contract that reflects the hard work and dedication of Auburn Medical Center nurses.

After much anticipation spent awaiting management’s responses, our team was presented with an economic offer from MultiCare that we feel continues to undervalue our nurses by raising their previous proposal by a mere half of one percent—bringing the new total to 7.50%.

Even more concerning, MultiCare’s proposals for across-the-board wage increases in Years 2 and 3 of our contract (3.00% and 2.75%, respectively) are not only well below current market standards but could further widen the gap between the wages of Auburn Medical Center nurses and those at competing King County hospitals.

Another major point of frustration is MultiCare’s continued rejection of our proposal for a Staffing Premium—contract language that mirrors agreements in place at two other MultiCare hospitals. Despite extensive discussion, MultiCare claims they are “unsure how to implement and track” the premium at Auburn Medical Center... puzzling, considering they have successfully implemented similar provisions at their other worksites.

Overall, we feel MultiCare is not acknowledging the realities of the nursing wage market in King County. As a result, we spent the rest of the day on January 2 planning the next steps to stand together and demand change, including holding an Informational Picket at the Medical Center.

If MultiCare doesn’t see our value, then we will make sure they see OUR SOLIDARITY!
 

INFORMATIONAL PICKET:

MultiCare Auburn Medical Center
Thursday, January 16, 2025
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

RSVP Here >>

& Join our Picket-Making-Party on January 13 from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM:

UFCW 3000 Office
23040 Pacific Highway South, Des Moines, WA 98198
 

PRE-BARGAINING DROP IN MEETINGS:

Join us for a 30-minute drop-in meeting before each day of negotiations from 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM

Click Here to Join >>
 

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Your Bargaining Team:

• Nick White, RN

• Nicole Joseph, Case Manager RN

• Sandy Hegg, Case Manager RN

• Cory Larsen, RN

• Sarah Murry, RN

Bargaining Update Jefferson Pro Tech/Clinic

On Tuesday, December 31, we had a short bargaining session. We presented a full economic proposal to Management and received their response right before the end of the session.

Management had previously proposed a wage scale that included a percentage-based wage increase for all positions and an additional flat dollar increase for some positions. This created a wage scale where the total percentage increase varied depending on the step.

Our response to Management was a percentage-based wage increase for everyone, with an additional percentage increase for jobs currently below the local market. Management has been trying to compete with local hospitals, specifically Whidbey Health Medical Center, Olympic Medical Center, and St. Michael Medical Center.

The package proposal we presented to management also included proposals on Weekend and Shift Differentials, pay for work on an unscheduled day, Certification and BSN/MSN pay, Preceptor Pay, pay for additional hours, an updated Surgical Tech, Imaging Tech, RT/RCP agreements.

We are reviewing Management’s new proposal and preparing to respond when we meet next week. Our next bargaining session is scheduled for January 10th.

For additional Information reach out to a Bargaining Team Member or to Union Representative Kimberly Starkweather 206-436-6515.

Bargaining Team: Donita French, Casey Paredes, Leanne Potts and Kim Vasenda.

Update your contact information: https://ufcw3000.org/update-your-information

Not a member yet? Join here: https://join.ufcw.org/join/3000

Jefferson Healthcare RN - Contract Ratified!

On December 30, a majority of RN/LPN voters approved the new contract! This agreement includes meaningful improvements:

• 7.5% or $3/hour wage increase the first full pay period following ratification

• Elimination of the $1.722 per compensable hour health insurance contributions

• Bonus shift pay

• Increased premiums

• Other changes aimed at retaining and recruiting staff

Over the next few weeks, we'll be drafting and formatting the final version of the contract. Once it's signed, we'll post it on the UFCW 3000 website and distribute copies to all bargaining unit members. In the meantime, you can review the redline contract and updated wage scale here: View Contract >>

Grievance Update: Fighting for Missed Bonus Shift Pay

We've filed a grievance regarding missed bonus pay for nurses who signed up for bonus shifts and were later canceled. Under the previous contract, these nurses should still have received bonus pay, but the Hospital claims otherwise.

We strongly disagree and are fighting for backpay. If you've been affected, please gather any documentation of bonus shifts you picked up but were canceled. Your records are important for determining the liability.

If you receive discipline or are called into an investigatory meeting, notice changes to your workplace conditions, or have other contract questions, please contact your Union Rep Kimberly Starkweather (206) 436-6515.
 

Spokane Rosauers Pharmacy Technicians and Assistants Ratify Contract

Pharmacy Technicians and Assistants at Rosauers grocery stores in Spokane Washington ratified their new contract this past Monday, December 23, 2024. They achieved significant pay increases, added security to their pension, and increased their vacation benefits. Congratulations.

Jefferson Healthcare Pro Tech/Clinic - Bargaining Update

We have met twice over the past week to bargain over wages and benefits. Management presented a complex proposal for wages, which included an across the board increase (a percentage increase for all positions) as well as market wage increases (wages to move us closer to the competition) for many positions. Jefferson has said they have reviewed wages at Whidbey, St. Michaels and Olympic Medical Center as competitors. Their current proposal does not raise wages enough to meet the competition.

We are working on a counter-proposal which takes into account the high cost of living in and around Port Townsend, as well as the competitive wages of local hospitals, focusing on some of the same hospitals management is referencing. We are carefully taking into consideration that current wages for some positions come close to St. Michael and Olympic already, but many do not and require significant increases.

Our team is setting higher standards for on-call and shift differentials, seeking better PTO cash-out and deferral, working on adding HUCs to the low census guarantee language, establishing minimum wage parameters, increasing certification and preceptor pay and proposing a new section which addresses extra pay for extra shifts.

Our next bargaining session is scheduled for December 31.

Bargaining Team: Donita French, Casey Paredes, LeAnne Potts, Kim Vasenda

For additional information contact a bargaining team member or Union Representative Kimberley Starkweather (206) 436-6515

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