Capital Medical Center RN - Bargaining Update – August 6 Session

On August 6, we met with Capital Medical Center management to exchange proposals on retirement plans, wages, meal periods, and health insurance.

Health Insurance

Over the past few years, health insurance premiums have risen sharply—especially for part-time nurses, who can pay more than $300 a month for coverage. We believe nurses should not bear these costly increases. Our proposal ensures:

• No premium costs for full-time and part-time nurses for "employee-only" coverage.

• No increases in premiums for the life of the contract.

Retirement Security

We also proposed locking in contribution levels for both the 401(k) and a defined pension plan. Under the pension plan, Capital would contribute a percentage of gross wages each month to a pension trust, providing vested participants with a guaranteed monthly benefit for life. Vesting requires five years of service with a participating employer. Kaiser Permanente, St. Joseph Pharmacy Techs, and Jefferson Healthcare RNs already benefit from this program. We believe retiring with dignity is essential—and a pension plan helps retain experienced nurses and attract new ones.

Wages

The employer has not yet responded to our retirement or health care proposals but is expected to do so at our next session on September 10. This past session, management proposed a 24-step wage scale similar to the scales at CMC Techs, Auburn RNs, and Mary Bridge RNs. Our bargaining team countered with a 30-step wage scale that eliminates "ghost" steps and shortens the progression. While we do not agree with their proposed annual increases, shortening the scale offers potential benefits for nurses' wage growth.

Looking Ahead

We are closely watching our union siblings' negotiations at Providence St. Peter, and our goal is to secure a contract that keeps us competitive with St. Peter and other Multicare hospitals in the South Puget Sound region.

Stay United

Until our next bargaining session, it's critical we show our unity and determination to win a competitive contract that improves staffing. Join us to pick up union swag:

Union Swag Pickup

August 12 (Tomorrow!)
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

August 29
6:30 AM - 7:30 AM & 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

For questions, reach out to your bargaining team or Union Rep, Kimberely Starkweather at 206-436-6515.

Capital Medical Center RN - Bargaining Update – Time to Step Up

Since late May, your RN bargaining team has been at the table fighting for real solutions to short staffing and unsafe conditions. We've put forward proposals that reflect your priorities—better staffing, competitive pay, and stronger protections. Instead of engaging in meaningful dialogue, management has dismissed our proposals and violated key parts of the contract we already have.

Contract Violations – Grievances Filed

We've filed grievances to address the Hospital's repeated violations of our current CBA:

• "Flex Time": Management is low censusing RNs, then expecting them to remain on-call without providing on-call pay. Article 7.6 is clear: RNs are not required to be on-call for all or part of a shift they were scheduled for and then low censused from. Changing start times or forcing nurses to wait by the phone—without compensation—is a contract violation.

• In-House Registry Pay: Under Article 12, nurses working in-house registry shifts beyond their FTE are owed 1.5x pay—no 40-hour condition applies. Management is withholding that pay and claiming they can revoke it at will. That's not how our contract works—and we're fighting back.

These issues all point to a pattern: Capital Medical wants more out of nurses—more flexibility, more hours, more patience—without paying more. That's unacceptable.

Capital Medical Center is expanding services and asking more of RNs every day, yet refusing to invest in staff. We've proposed:

• Double pay for all extra and vacant shifts

• Premium pay increases

• Competitive wage increases and removal of ghost steps

• Break relief RNs for every unit

• Safe staffing ratios and enforceable staffing language

• An additional holiday and expanded holiday pay for night shift nurses

• Increased PTO and EIB usage from day one

Capital Medical rejected these proposals—while claiming they want to compete with Providence St. Peter. If they're serious, they need to invest in nurses.

Instead, nurses are being told daily about how to take breaks on time—without enough staff to cover those breaks. We've been clear: no break relief RNs and short staffing = no missed and untimely breaks.

Nurses are stretched thin. Morale is low. And instead of investing in the workforce, Capital Medical is rejecting commonsense proposals.

What's Next

We are continuing to push management to take these issues seriously. Our next bargaining session is August 6 and our contract will expire September 30, 2025.

If you have any questions, please contact your bargaining team or Kimberly Starkweather, Union Rep (206) 436-6515.

Bargaining team: Dennis Verellen, ICU; Bonnie Verellen, L&D; Holly Bruckner, ED; Cindy Dixon, PCU

Capital Medical Center RNs - Bargaining Begins Soon

Our union contract is set to expire later this year on September 30, but bargaining will start sooner—Multicare has requested to begin negotiations next month. We will take every opportunity to address ongoing staffing issues and fight for crucial wage increases, so we're kicking our preparations into high gear.

Bargaining Surveys

Participation and communication are key to winning a strong contract, and bargaining surveys are one of the important tools we use. We use our surveys to understand our shared priorities and goals and to inform our proposals at the table. This is a great time to get refamiliarized with our contract and shine a light on any ongoing issues. Make your voice heard! Fill out your survey in the mail or online >>

Not getting updates or the survey? Update your contact information to get critical information about our campaign and stay informed about upcoming actions and events >>

Open Office Hours

April 24 & May 7
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Lunchroom

Our Rep, Kimberly Starkweather, will be in the lunchroom to answer questions and talk about issues.

Leaders In Action Training

May 22

Want to get more involved but not sure where to start? Reach out to our Rep for more information about this exciting training opportunity.

May Day March

May 1

We aren't alone in our struggle to defend our rights. In the last few months, the federal government has launched an all-out assault on the working class and our First Amendment rights. On May 1, labor unions, immigrant protection organizations, and workers across America are continuing 139 years of pushing back against the chaos and cruelty. UFCW 3000 members are showing up in force to May Day marches all around the state. If you've been feeling powerless, this is a powerful opportunity to stand together with your community and find the path forward.

Learn more about the marches and RSVP here! >>

Multicare Capital Medical Center Service/Office/Technical - Bargaining Update!

Embed Block

Add an embed URL or code. Learn more

Wednesday, October 2 marks our fourth bargaining date with MultiCare since we began negotiations for a 2024 contract for the Service, Office, & Technical union members at Capital Medical Center.

Transparently, our day began a bit slow in terms of meeting with management, with our Union team providing MultiCare with any remaining contract proposals we had in our court in the morning, and then waiting until just before the end of our scheduled time to receive proposals back from management.

Upon hearing back from management later that afternoon, we were presented with a number of responses on a few of the contract articles we’ve been exchanging back and forth with the employer; most importantly, wages.

Overall, it’s fair to say that we were shocked by MultiCare’s initial offer, not because it undercut our value and ignored regional competitors’ wage rates (as one can typically expect from an Employer’s first wage counter...), but instead, their proposal seemed to consider the rates of pay that competitors are paying in the greater South-Puget-Sound region, as well as the significant increases MultiCare workers in Pierce and King County won in union negotiations earlier this year.

There are varying increases throughout the numerous job classifications—mainly due to the varying market fluctuations for those classifications—but our bargaining team can say that while the wage proposal we received from Capital is not quite ready for us to agree to yet, it will serve to move market-based wage discussions much faster than we have seen at other bargaining tables!

We are looking forward to meeting with MultiCare for our next session on October 10 to continue working towards a strong contract for Capital Medical Center employees!

“We’re not all the way there yet, but we are cautiously optimistic!”
—Julie Hinchcliffe, HUC/Monitor Tech @ CapMC

Your Bargaining Team: Julie Hinchcliffe, HUC/Monitor Tech; Beatrix Sales, CS Tech; Lindsey Moorhead, Cath Lab Tech

Capital Medical Center RNs - Agreement Ratified with unanimous YES votes!

Capital Medical Center RNs
Agreement Ratified with unanimous YES votes!

We have a new historic agreement with a lot of great wins:

• New wage scale that eliminates 5 ghost steps with each step either equal or above Providence St. Peters Hospital to help recruit and retain quality Nurses.

• A committee to discuss call language and policies

• Health and safety language

• Increase premiums including float pay, excessive call pay, night shift and others. 

• Safe staffing language 

• And much more!

Scan the QR code to find the redline version of the contract OR go to: bit.ly/MHS-CMC-RN-Redline

Capital Medical Center RN - Tentative Agreement Reached

Our Bargaining Team: Bonnie Velleren, Carol Cairone, Cindy Dixon, Dennis Velleren, Elisabeth Hilderbrand

After a successful action of a petition in support of a strong contract and after a long day of bargaining we are excited to announce that we have settled a historic agreement that we believe is strong and equitable for all! 

What We Won:

• Strong wages that can help recruit and retain qualified Nurses!

•  New wage scale that eliminates 5 ghost steps and put us equal or above Providence St. Peters Hospital

•  A committee to discuss Call language and policies

•  Health and Safety Language

•  Increase premiums including Float pay, excessive call pay, night shift and others. 

•  Safe staffing language 

•  And other great wins!

Keep an eye out for ratification vote meetings!

“We are proud of the work we did, not only is it a landmark agreement but we were able to settle before the contract expiration date.” 

— Bonnie Verellen

“Management tried to take some things away but with the support of our coworkers we were able to fight back and win a strong contract.”

— Cindy Dixon

“Not only did we get wages that will help us recruit and retain good nurses, but we got a wage scale that matches Providence St. Peters and eliminates 5 ghost steps.” 

— Dennis Velleren

“We fought for the majority and the minorities. We wanted to make sure that not only the big departments get their issues brought to the table but so were some of the smaller departments!”

— Elisabeth Hilderbrand

Please reach out to a bargaining team member or your Union Rep Brandan Zielinski @ 206-436-6603 or bzielinski@ufcw3000.org 

Capital Medical Center RN Bargaining Update

Capital Medical Center

There is Still work to be done

We had another bargaining session with management on September 22. Overall we have made great progress and feel like Management has come a long way. However, while a lot of things are promising there is still some work to be done before we can settle a contract that is equitable for everyone. Between the last two bargaining sessions we have discussed economics, staffing, safety, and made a lot headway on some of those issues but Management still needs some more nudging. 
Join us in signing this petition and let Management know that we are united for a strong contract.  

Sign our Petition: United for Strong Contract!>>

“We as nurses are compassionate about safety, our concerns were heard after a hard fight leading to an agreement around safe staffing.” 
–Bonnie Verellen and Carol Cairone  

“Management is trying to take away pay from those who work on-call. Individuals on-call already have a family work life balance burden and now management is trying to reduce pay. We Deserve Better!” –Cindy Dixon and Elisabeth Hildebrand.

Capital Medical Center RN - SAFE STAFFING SAVES LIVES

Our Bargaining Team:

Cindy Dixon (PACU), Carol Cairone (OR), Bonnie Verellen (Labor & Delivery), Dennis Verellen (ICU/PCU)

Not Pictured: Elisabeth Hildebrand (Cath Lab)

Although the burden of presenting responses & counter proposals rested on management yesterday, September 14, your UFCW bargaining team knew it was time to finalize and present our official contract language on safe staffing. 

After receiving CMC’s proposals in the morning hours, we put our heads together to layout a very strong article which would aim to protect nurses & patients. This was presented it in the early afternoon, and Management expressed that they understand the need for staffing language, but appeared apathetic in it’s application. 

This did not deter us. 

We reworked our proposal, and when we met with management again, we lead our revisions with testimony from bargaining team members. This, paired with our revised language, made a proposal so compelling it pushed management into a discussion with us about the necessity of protections not only for ourselves, but for our patients. 

Nurses are the most trusted profession in the United States, and when we stand together to demand basic protections, we expect management to listen. 

Please reach out to your Union Rep or if you have any questions or concerns. 

Brandan Zielinski @ 206-436-6603 or BZielinski@ufcw3000.org 

Capital Medical Center RN - Bargaining for better pay, PTO, and patient safety

Capital Medical Center RN
BARGAINING FOR BETTER PAY, PTO, AND PATIENT SAFETY

On August 30, we met across the bargaining table from Capital Medical Center and proposed our economics. The market for Nurses in Washington state is evolving rapidly, and we’re holding it to Management to work with us to keep Capital Medical Center at the forefront of our needs.

Beyond the wage scale, we’ve continued to flesh out our counter proposals on PTO. Management initially brought us language to provide consistency between contracts, and we must ensure whichever plan we agree upon is equitable, and amends the ongoing concerns around benefits and accruals.

Lastly, our Bargaining Committee has been creative in our approaches to staffing and education. Although these conversations are still in their beginning stages, we know that our day-to-day lives as Nurses are about more than just pay and benefits: we must honor our safety as well as our patients!

Stay tuned for more information on joining the Contract Action Team (CAT)!

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns to Union Rep Brandan Zielinski @ 206-436-6603 or BZielinski@ufcw3000.org

Our Capital Medical Center Bargaining Team (L - R): Steven Toff (Chair 1 Bargainer for UFCW), Bonnie Verellen (Labor & Delivery), Dennis Verellen (ICU/PCU), Cindy Dixon (PACU). Not pictured: Carol Cairone (OR) & Elisabeth Hildebrand (Cath Lab)

Capital Medical Center RN Bargaining Update

We had two more bargaining sessions with Management where we got a few more tentative agreements. We spent a lot of time talking about PTO. Management wants to keep us in alignment with all of the other MultiCare facilities, which we are okay with but they also need to recognize we are our own bargaining unit with our own needs.

We, as a Bargaining Team, want to be sure that none of us are left behind. If Management wants to make changes and put us in alignment, we want to make sure that all our coworkers are coming out on top.

“Things are moving in bargaining, but it seems like we have more questions for Management than what they are giving us. We need more answers from Management so we can get more done.” – Elisabeth Hildebrand, Cath Lab

“Management has made proposals around PTO that leaves some of our coworkers behind. We want to make sure none of our coworker are left behind!” – Cindy Dixon, PACU

Capital Medical Center RN - Bargaining Goes Virtual

Photo Left to Right:

Dennis & Bonnie Verellen, Brandan Zielinski, Elisabeth Hildebrand, Steven Toff, Malando Redeemer, Carol Cairone

During our first virtual bargaining session with Capital Medical Center, we received management’s response to our initial proposals, and used the remaining time to dig deeper into the issues facing RNs at Capital Medical Center!

“We’re working hard to identify a better process for all of us to recognize issues with payroll and quickly fix them. Our payroll systems are just too difficult to read!”

— Bonnie Verellen

“It’s time to rectify the differences between Capital Medical Centers healthcare with the rest of MultiCare at large!”

— Elisabeth Hildebrand

As we continue our hybrid model of bargaining, we also want to continue to stress the importance of hearing your voices throughout this contract negotiation. Reach out to anyone of us on the bargaining team, or our union rep Brandan Zielinski at (206) 436-6603 or via email BZielinski@ufcw3000.org

Capital Medical Center RN - We Are United for a Strong Contract

Our Bargaining Team (Left to Right):

Dennis Verellen (ICU/PCU)

Elisabeth Hildebrand (Cath Lab)

Bonnie Verellen (Labor & Delivery)

Carol Cairone (OR)

Cindy Dixon (PACU)

We had our first bargaining session and led on our vision of what a great Capital Medical Center looks like. With your input we presented our priorities to MultiCare management and told them that our team is united for:

• Competitive Wages that recruit and retain workers

• Safe Staffing for us and our patients

• Safe working conditions for all our coworkers

• Raising standards to meet other MultiCare Units.

“As we began bargaining, we shared with management the important of raising us to the standards of other MultiCare units up north. Just because we are in Olympia doesn’t mean we deserve less than others. We deserve the same services, benefits and resources as others.”

— Dennis Verellen

“We had a successful start to our bargaining coming to some agreements right out the gate. With your support and involvement I believe we will have a successful bargain and win a strong contract.”

— Carol Cairone

Together we can win!

Many hands make light work! If you are interested in being involved and staying up-to-date please join the Contract Action Team (CAT). Reach out to anyone of us on the bargaining team or our union rep Brandan Zielinski at (206) 436-6603 or via email BZielinski@ufcw3000.org.

Capital Medical Center RN - Bargaining Begins

We’ve received your bargaining surveys, reviewed your priorities, and now we’re preparing to meet management at the table. 

UFCW and Capital Medical Center are scheduled for Thursday, August 4 to begin negotiations around the RN Contract & your suggested improvements. 

GET INVOLVED!

Please contact your rep Brandan Zielinski at (206) 436-6603 or via email at BZielinski@ufcw3000.org if you’d like to be on our Contract Action Team! 

Please update your contact information to make sure you receive any future updates: