Harrison/St Michael Agrees to Meet with UFCW 21 Leadership

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UFCW 21 sent a letter to management detailing our demands during this outbreak, and have received a response from management that they would like to meet with UFCW 21 leadership as soon as this week. We will update everyone with whatever we learn.

We also wanted to report back some of the results of safety surveys many Harrison/St. Michael workers took last week. The surveys showed:

  • 78% of survey takers have had an issue with damaged, untested, or inadequate supply of PPE

  • 60% believe they had an exposure to a COVID-positive patient or coworker since Aug 4

  • 50% of quarantined respondents were put on paid admin leave while quarantined

  • 18% were quarantined while waiting for test results

  • 43% learned of the outbreak from a coworker

  • 30% learned of the outbreak from news media

  • 21% learned of it from hospital management

In many departments, large amounts of new PPE showed up almost overnight last week, and while we are frustrated that it took this much hard work from union hospital staff to get protective equipment on the floor, we’re glad it has now been made available. If you continue to have issues with unsafe PPE, you can always send us a safety report at safetyreport@ufcw21.org.

Harrison Community Caravan Takes the Streets of Kitsap!

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The UFCW 21 Harrison ProTech Bargaining Team was joined by UFCW 21 Kitsap Movement Builders, UFCW 21 Doctor’s Clinic & grocery members, as well as the Kitsap Central Labor Council and political and community leaders for an inspiring, powerful, creative and ultimately very noisy action from Bremerton to Silverdale on Tuesday, July 14.

UFCW 21 members shared what is happening in our workplaces, the risks to our safety and how we are doing everything we can (including making our own personal protective equipment) to keep ourselves and our colleagues safe. We asked community to join our campaign asking CHI to do better in terms of health care, wages, PPE, and other important safety protections. Then about 40 cars decorated with streamers, paint, and signs saying things like “Protect Health Care Workers, Protect Our Community” and “Honk for Healthcare Workers” circled Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, getting waves from health care workers on break and passers by. We then beeped our way, in formation, over to Silverdale, where we did the same thing at Harrison Medical Center there.

We wrapped up the action with a reminder for everyone to sign on to the petition which health care members will be delivering at the end of July. Please sign and share, so that CHI has no doubt that the Kitsap Community is horrified about what is happening to our health care workers and expects CHI to do the right thing!

Hear what UFCW 21 members had to say that day:

“My kids were born at Harrison. Health care means a lot. As a CNA, I’m one of the lowest-paid people in the hospital, and I do most of the patient care. I’ve been on the bargaining team ever since I started, 21 years ago. I fight for the little guy. We have over 200 people that are CNAs in the hospital, we’re the biggest group out of the Pro-Tech group, and I fight for them tooth and nail every single day because that’s how I care about the CNAs, that’s how I care about the workers, that’s how I care about Pro-Tech.”
— Rob Shauger, CNA, surgical floor, Harrison Medical Center, member of the UFCW 21 bargaining team
“We as health care workers are the ones that really have the knowledge, not the administration. The biggest thing in this pandemic that’s been really scary, as a health care worker, is that we’re now carrying around our PPE, which most of us have had to go out and purchase ourselves. We’re in the ER and we’re wearing these masks for more than 3 weeks, masks that were originally meant to be to be one-time use per patient. Six months ago, we were changing out our gowns, goggles, masks, between every patient and now we’re using it for weeks on end. I’m just asking for the community to support us on this. In order for us to take care of you, we need your support to take care of ourselves, too.”
— Ona Burkett, ER Tech, Harrison Medical Center, member of the UFCW 21 bargaining team
“We are also bargaining for a fair contract right now. The Doctor’s Clinic is owned by CHI, so we’re all in this together, and they’re doing the same things to us. They said we don’t deserve hazard pay because this is the job we signed up for. Let me tell you—this is not the job we signed up for! I’ve been here for Ebola, I was there for H1N1, this is a whole new world for everyone. This beautiful garbage bag I’m wearing today? I’ve been making these myself, for our own protective equipment. We didn’t get the kind of protective gowns we were supposed to have, so I took some garbage bags and figure out how to iron them together. I’m very proud of this, but I’m also extremely angry. I did it to protect myself and my coworkers, but I should not have had to do this. I bought the garbage bags myself. If we go down, we can’t protect the community, so we need to be protected.”
— Monique Pyles, Medical Asst., The Doctors Clinic, member of the UFCW 21 bargaining team
Monique Pyles

Monique Pyles

“We really have each other’s back here in Kitsap!”

-Naomi Oligario, Port Orchard Safeway, UFCW 21 member & event emcee

“I’ve been in the grocery industry for a long time; this is a tough time for essential workers. We’re keeping our communities fed, supplied, healthy, and cared for in the middle of a global emergency, and we’re proud to do it. But we also need to be kept safe at our jobs. As a patient of this Kitsap health care system, I know the safety of these health care workers affects my safety. If me and my coworkers get sick, our community food supply chain gets messed up. I know if health care workers get sick and can’t work, our access to good quality health care is affected. Essential workers in this stand together, stand for each other, and stand for the community.”
— Eric Otis, Bremerton Fred Meyer

Our community car caravan passes Harrison Medical Center to let them know Kitsap stands with health care workers!

St. Michael Medical Center Pro-Tech - Fair Wages for All!

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Your Bargaining Team met with Managament again on June 18 and we were able to win an increase to our weekend premium pay, an agreement from the Medical Center to track CEDO hours, and cleaned up language regarding the medical center’s name change.

However, Management made an insulting economic counter-offer that fails to provide fair wage increases to ALL members with some receiving ZERO increases in the first year. Management has also continued their attacks on our affordable Union healthcare plan by demanding that we accept the Medical Center’s expensive healthcare. We feel that it’s indefensible for Management to demand healthcare concessions at a time when we are risking our health and safety everyday to protect our community through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Your Bargaining Team has made clear to Managament that we will fight to ensure that all members, regardless of classification or years of service, will receive a fair wage increase and shall maintain our affordable healthcare. We must prepare ourselves to take action against these unacceptable proposals and fight for the fair contract that we deserve! 

“We demand fair wages for ALL members and are fighting to keep our affordable Union healthcare, which is more important now than ever!”

OUR PRO-TECH BARGAINING TEAM: Judy Shoesmith, Kain Mcleod, Connie Baker, Rob Shauger, Don Szabo, Ona Burkett, Sonja Hammes

Harrison Medical Center Service & Dietary - Contract Vote Scheduled

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Your Bargaining Team reached a tentative agreement with the Medical Center that won substantial wage increases, new short-term personal leave, improved schedule posting language, as well as many other improvements. 

We will be holding drop-in virtual vote meetings on Friday, June 19 at 8AM and 4PM to answer any questions about the tentative agreement. Details for joining will be mailed out with the vote instructions.

We will send out information soon with more details of the changes in your new contract and how the mail-in voting process works. To review a copy of the full legal document with all proposed changes please visit the link provided in the body of the email below.

View Document

Harrison Service & Dietary - Fighting for a Fair Contract

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We met with Management on May 19 and made progress on outstanding issues such as ensuring new hires receive adequate training, addressing harassment in the workplace, and reassurances that our contract will withstand any future mergers. 

We remain apart on wages and are still fighting for wage increases that will both retain workers and attract new hires by having increases in every year of our contract. We are committed to fighting for a fair contract that invests in our future and ensures that wages at Harrison Medical Center are competitive with other employers in the region, that we have reliable costs for our healthcare and are treated with dignity and respect at work. 

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Rep Ryan Degouveia @ 360-662-1989.

“We, the essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, deserve a fair contract with wage increases that invest in our future.”

Harrison Service & Dietary Bargaining Team

CHI Harrison - Bargaining Continues

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“Please join us for our first virtual Contract Action Team meeting next Tuesday May 19 @ 7:30pm!”

Harrison Medical Center Pro-Tech Bargaining Team


CHI Harrison Medical Center Service & Dietary + Pro-Tech Contract Action Team Meeting
Tuesday, May 19 - 7:30PM
RSVP to get call join info 

PRO-TECH UPDATE

Your Bargaining Team met with Management again on May 5, 12, and 14. We have come to agreements with the employer to improve language regarding schedule posting, promotions, new hire orientation, and safety.

However, we are still fighting the employer to protect our Union healthcare, maintain successorship language that has protected our contract through recent mergers, create a member driven emergency preparedness team, and fair wage increases that keep Harrison Medical Center market competitive. Our next bargaining dates are June 5, 12, and 14.

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Rep Aimee Oien @ 360-662-1981.

BARGAINING TEAM: Judy Shoesmith, Kain Mcleod, Connie Baker, Rob Shauger, Don Szabo, Ona Burkett, Sonja Hammes

SERVICE & DIETARY UPDATE

Your Bargaining Team met with Management on May 8 and achieved improvements on schedule postings, new hire orientation, safety, and won a new short-term personal leave benefit.

However, we continue to fight Management to maintain successorship language that has protected our contract through recent mergers, ensure adequate training for new hires, job positing transparency, create a member driven emergency preparedness team, and fair wage increases that keep Harrison Medical Center market competitive. Our next bargaining date is May 19. 

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Rep Ryan Degouveia @ 360-662-1989.

BARGAINING TEAM: Bobby Harris, Susan Mayer

Harrison Medical Center - Bargaining Continues

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PRO-TECH UPDATE

Your Bargaining Team met with Managament on April 23, 25, and 28. We are committed to fighting for a fair contract that maintains our Union healthcare and ensures our contract survives any future mergers or acquisitions.

We have also made proposals to address issues regarding scheduling time off, easier access to education and professional meetings, improved safety language, and market competitive wages that keep up with the rising cost of living. Our next bargaining date is May 5.

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Rep Aimee Oien @ 360-662-1981.

“Although we met virtually, we are standing together for a fair contract.”

Harrison Medical Center Pro-Tech Bargaining Team
Judy Shoesmith, Kain Mcleod, Connie Baker, Rob Shauger, Don Szabo, Ona Burkett, Sonja Hammes

SERVICE & DIETARY UPDATE

Your Bargaining Team met with Management on April 13, 20, and 27. We submitted our initial proposals that aim to strengthen language regarding scheduling, increased transparency of job postings, stronger safety committees, maintaining healthcare costs, and market competitive wages that keep up with the rising cost of living. Our next bargaining date is May 8.

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Rep Ryan Degouveia @ 360-662-1989.

“Our first couple of bargaining dates were productive and we are looking forward to getting a contract that we can all be proud of!”

Harrison Medical Center Service & Dietary Bargaining Team
Bobby Harris, Susan Mayer, Bill A Lieseke

CHI Harrison Medical Center Wages for missed rest periods

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We also have grievances for the same issue of overtime for missed rest periods for Harrison Dietary & Service and ProTech. 

You should have received this from your employer:

Dear Nurse,

On Friday, June 9, 2017 you will receive an additional direct deposit for payment of a UFCW RN rest break arbitration settlement.  The settlement payment is for a daily overtime rate applied to missed rest breaks from March 15, 2015 through March 11, 2017.

Since missed rest breaks were paid at straight time, we are paying an additional half-time for any missed rest breaks reported and paid for during this period, assuming they meet the following criteria:
  1. The entire shift was worked.
  2. No duplication of overtime pay would result.
  3. The rest break was not already paid at a weekly overtime rate.
A second back payment award will occur for the period of March 11, 2017 through the date of implementation of the calculation of missed rest breaks at a daily overtime rate.  We will notify you of this payment date when set. 

Moving forward payroll will be paying missed rest breaks for RN’s at a daily overtime rate, assuming the above criteria is met. Please call Vickie Lackman if you have any questions.