Harbor Regional Health Tentative Agreement Reached!
/Our Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract and recommends a yes vote!
Read MoreAfter months of difficult negotiations, a powerful informational picket, and an overwhelming strike authorization vote, our Union Bargaining Team fought late into the night on October 8 and reached a tentative agreement on a new contract!
The Nominations are in, now it’s time to vote for who will represent you and your coworkers from Ballard, Central District, and Issaquah PCCs on the newly formed PCC Labor Management Advisory Committee (LMAC). Secure online voting will take place Wednesday, October 21 from 8am to 8pm. Every PCC store elects one LMAC representative, you may only vote on a nominee from your own store.
Following a series of highly attended vote meetings on Monday, October 5, union technical workers at St. Joseph Medical Center voted nearly unanimously to:
Reject CommonSpirit’s subpar contract offer
Authorize a STRIKE
“We set the stage and gave our comprehensive proposal letting the employer know that our priorities are to win wages that we deserve, improve our transportation benefits, win immigration protection language as well as ensuring the safety of our co-workers. We are eager to see what BDA’s response is on the 21. ” -Kota Owens, Bargaining Team Member
For the first time in history, on Tuesday, Sept 29, grocery store workers from across Washington State and North Idaho met at the same table to plan for our upcoming bargaining session with Kroger and Albertsons.
Our team met with the employer again today to continue bargaining. We have finally started discussing economics, focusing on health care and wages, which we know are our members’ top priorities. We've seen very little movement from the employer and know we need to start escalating.
Correcting the Record: Decades after Organizing Her Own Unit, Leslie Ball Is Still Fighting for Her Coworkers
Leslie Ball, a certified surgical technologist at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma and a longtime UFCW 3000 Union Steward, has spent decades standing up for herself and her coworkers.
Her fight for better working conditions began in the late 1990s, when she received a 30-cent wage increase, which ended up only being a five-cent raise after her employer reduced her shift differential by a quarter. With years of experience and a deep understanding of the value surgical techs bring to the table, she knew a nickel wasn’t going to cut it. So she and a coworker, Gail Miller, started organizing their colleagues at St. Joe's despite warnings that previous organizing efforts had failed.
Within a year, they helped Radiology, Respiratory Therapy, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, and other departments form the hospital’s first Technical Unit, which ratified its first contract in 1999.
Please lookout for a vote notice once we can confirm when the ratification vote will take place. Members will all have a chance to review the vote documents and ask questions, we will also hold a meeting to discuss this historic TA very soon. Also, please thank your Bargaining Team! They worked very hard.
We’re getting ready to head to the bargaining table, and we want to hear from you!
Join our Union Bargaining Team for a Bargaining Kick-Off Meeting to talk about the upcoming negotiations, review bargaining priorities, discuss the bargaining process, and answer questions.
This is your opportunity to get involved, share what matters most to you, and help shape our priorities as we prepare for bargaining.
Meeting ID: 821 3753 7914 Passcode: 251390
Get Involved!
Strong contracts are built when members stay informed and involved. Join us as we kick off bargaining and make sure Jefferson County members’ voices are heard at the table.
We look forward to seeing you and hearing from you!
Our Union Bargaining Team has reached a Tentative Agreement with Olympic Medical Center and is recommending a YES vote!
After ten sessions across six months of negotiations, our union Bargaining Team reached the difficult but necessary decision to call for a strike authorization vote.
We’ve come to management with contract language addressing our positions being overstaffed by agency & traveler employees. Management have come to us rejecting this proposal.
Our Bargaining Team is thrilled to announce that on September 22, 2026, an overwhelming majority of our members voted YES and approved the contract! We now have a ratified contract!
Our Union Bargaining Team has been working for several months on an agreement to transition Audiology Assistants and Pathologist Assistants into the existing UFCW 3000 Kaiser Permanente Pro Tech Optical Contract and we have reached a tentative agreement. The Bargaining Team fully recommends this agreement.
SEATTLE – Today the Seattle City Council passed Mayor Katie Wilson’s Fair Pricing and Transparency ordinance with no corporate amendments that open the door to algorithmic pricing or weaken enforcement, making Seattle home to the strongest ban on surveillance pricing in the country.
The employer joined us for two bargaining sessions on September 17 and 18. They have hired a new legal counsel who seemingly is trying to set a different, more collaborative tone with our union. We reached Tentative Agreements on several topics, including an Artificial Intelligence Memorandum of Understanding and an Inclusion Memorandum of Understanding to help protect some of our members who are part of marginalized communities.
Join your Bargaining Team and coworkers for an update on the current bargaining campaigns on Tuesday, Sept 22, 5:30-6:30pm. We will give updates on the St. Michael and St. Joseph bargaining and how we can build power together. Please show your support for your bargaining teams by wearing your union swag with pride every day, but especially today, September 18, for our next bargaining session.
Any questions can be addressed to Charlie King at 360-409-0606 or a Bargaining Team Member.
Our Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract and recommends a yes vote!
Read MoreWe have reached several tentative agreements with the hospital and have just a few open issues that we are trying to resolve.
Read More
We continue to make progress towards a new collective bargaining agreement. We have spent countless hours talking about what wages in other hospitals look like, and management has finally started coming into bargaining with some proposals worth thinking about. They have indicated that they have no interest in increasing PTO accruals or subsidizing the cost of health benefits more than they currently do, but instead want to invest in some significant wage increases for many jobs that have fallen below market. We disagree on their assessment of pay for some jobs and have shared a lot of data with them. We have also shared personal stories illustrating the ongoing challenges of working short.
Our next bargaining session is scheduled for August 27.
We are holding a Contract Action Meeting immediately following bargaining:
August 27
6:00 PM
Duffy's Meeting Room
1605 Simpson Avenue
Aberdeen WA 98520
For additional information, contact a bargaining team member or Union Representative Kimberly Starkweather (206) 436-6515.
Bargaining Team: Dan James, Eric Timmons, Janet Byrd, Ana Garcia, Debi Sturm, Bambi Shope
We focused on economics Friday as we bargained with management. Their initial wage proposal did not align with other local hospitals. Our response was a market-competitive proposal that takes into account the rising cost of living and the challenges of retaining and recruiting workers. We talked about differentials and premiums, along with the role of preceptor, student coordinator, and the importance of paying wages that recognize past experience.
Read MoreOur bargaining team has had multiple bargaining sessions with management but we haven’t received a response on any of our economic proposals. We have however received some proposals from management:
Read More
From organizing a union to bargaining a contract to enforcing it as a shop steward, John Warring has done it all. Michaela sits down with this retired member and activist in her community to hear about the history of the local hospital in Grays Harbor, WA. Michaela and John get real about the value of being a union worker and the many different ways to be involved in your union. For John it went far beyond ensuring fair wages and enforcing job security, and included things like protecting departments from outsourcing and advocating for workers alongside fellow unions in a labor council. He also shares his experience and perspective on 40 years of UFCW 3000 history!
UFCW 3000 union shop steward Michaela is always ready to answer fellow members’ questions about their union. She’s also a devoted murder podcast listener. Put those interests together, and she decided to start a union podcast to get all her coworkers’ questions and her own questions answered, and to meet as many people as possible who could share what it means to be a part of UFCW 3000. (No murder on this podcast, only solidarity!)
*The information shared on this podcast is offered by rank and file union member leaders of UFCW 3000. There may be inaccuracies or misstatements shared, as members will be speaking from the lenses of their perspectives and life experiences. While members are doing their best to share good information, we can make no claims to 100% accuracy and this podcast should not be construed as legal advice.
Harbor Regional Health
Members of the local community came out along with many hospital workers to send a strong message to management: We need a contract NOW! At the end of the Informational Picket community members stepped up and spoke to HRH workers offering overwhelming support! It was a beautiful fall day, a perfect day to make some noise in front of Harbor Regional Health.
Buttons are showing up on so many workers at HRH! Keep wearing buttons!
On Thursday, August 11, union members joined forces to distribute buttons on both campuses. The buttons are being worn in solidarity with the HRH Bargaining Team demanding a fair contract. We will continue to wear the buttons.
Starting today—Monday, August 15—we will be distributing a Strike Pledge Card.
In solidarity with the Bargaining Team, the Strike Pledge Cards let management know that we are willing to do whatever it takes to get a fair contract!
If you have questions or concerns, contact Union Representative Brandan Zielinski at BZielinski@ufcw3000.org or call him at 206-436-6603.
Your Bargaining Team: Janet Byrd, Ricki Franklin, Dan James, Bambi Shope, Debbie Sturm.
Please remind your coworkers to update their information so that everyone can receive these updates!
Our union bargaining team has been hard at work creating a stronger and more efficient agreement between employees and management. We are proposing real wage increases because we have given up increases for the sake of the hospital. We are behind and need to catch up.
We are proposing wages:
That are competitive with other local hospitals
That meet the increasing cost of living
That recognize our value to the hospital and the community
We have worked through difficult times facing the ongoing staff shortages that require you to work twice as hard!
Thanks for the burger HRH but show us the money!
For additional information or to get involved contract your union representative Brandan Zielinski @ (206) 436-6603.
“I joined the bargaining team to put my passion for social justice into action to benefit my coworkers and family. I grew up in union households and want to honor all those who have sacrificed for worker’s protections”
— Ricki Franklin, Medical Social Worker and Bargaining Team Member
Your Bargaining Team: Janet Byrd, Ricki Franklin, Dan James, Bambi Shope, Debbie Sturm.
Please remind your coworkers to update their information so that everyone can receive these updates!
As the contract cycle comes to an end, our UFCW 3000 Bargaining Team met across the table from Management on April 8 and 13 with more sessions planned in the next month.
Day one and two, the Union Bargaining Team brought proposals to the table improving employee protections, while Management came empty handed.
Next session we will be discussing the Hospital’s below market wages and premiums.
Our Bargaining Team is committed to raising the overall economic package for UFCW workers at GHCH/HRH.
Please update your contact information to receive updates: ufcw21.org/update-your-information
Your Bargaining Team (L-R): Debra Sturm, Janet Byrd, Daniel James, Ricki Franklin, Bambi Shope
After lengthy negotiations with Management, we’ve reached a Tentative Agreement. Some of the highlights include:
Ratification Bonus
Wage Increases
Increases to annual maximums for Dental and Vision Insurance
Improvements to Paid Time Off
Improvements to Grievance Procedure
UFCW 21 members in good standing are encouraged to attend a meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract. Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Representative for any questions.
“Our hospital continues to have poor revenue and we still made improvements to our contract. We look forward to seeing everyone at the Zoom meetings so we can explain the improvements of Tentative Agreement.”
— GRAYS HARBOR COMMMUNITY HOSPITAL BARGAINING TEAM: Janet Byrd, Medical Records; Daniel James, Surgery; John Warring, Lab; Michaela McDonald, Cardiopulmonary; Chris Neeley, Registration; Debra Sturm, Pharmacy; Bambi Shope, House Keeping
Join us for a Zoom Contract Overview Meeting and learn more about the Tentative Agreement.
November 19, 6:00 - 7:30 PM
December 3, 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.
Join Your Bargaining Team for a Zoom Meeting to discuss what we all can do to win a good contract with no takeaways.
“We need all members to show Management that taking away sick leave is wrong during this time of crisis”
Grays Harbor Hospital Bargaining Team
Tuesday, September 22
3:30PM – 4:30PM • 6:30PM –7:30PM
https://zoom.us/join
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.
We continued to bargain with Management last week and were not able to reach a settlement. Management’s relentless pursuit to take away our sick leave hours during a pandemic is their short sighted plan to reduce costs off of our working backs. Our Bargaining Team remains adamant that taking away our sick leave is not the answer to the hospital’s financial problems. We encouraged Management to look at other cost saving ideas, i.e. better billing practices and streamlining paperwork.
“We understand Shared Sacrifice and we want the hospital to succeed but having Management balance the budget off our backs is not acceptable. Join us at our Zoom Contract Action Team meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss our next steps in getting a fair contract.”
Grays Harbor Hospital Bargaining Team
Tuesday, July 21
6:00 PM - 7:30PM
https://zoom.us/join
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.
UFCW 21 President Faye Guenther & Secretary-Treasurer Joe Mizrahi interviews retiring Grays Harbor Hospital member leader John Warring and former UFCW 21 Secretary-Treasurer Diane Zahn about their memories in the labor movement and how to strengthen our union in the future.
Read More
In the midst of a global healthcare crisis, Management is still proposing to take up to 40 hours from our sick leave. Our plan is to eliminate some of that loss by adding additional time off that could be used not only as sick leave but as vacation.
“As we continue to work short and make sacrifices to help with the financial woes of the hospital, we call on Management to meet us with a solution that mitigates some of the losses that they have proposed and provides us with an economic acknowledgment of the time we’ve spent bargaining this contract.”
Grays Harbor Hospital Bargaining Team
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.
Correcting the Record: Decades after Organizing Her Own Unit, Leslie Ball Is Still Fighting for Her Coworkers
Leslie Ball, a certified surgical technologist at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma and a longtime UFCW 3000 Union Steward, has spent decades standing up for herself and her coworkers.
Her fight for better working conditions began in the late 1990s, when she received a 30-cent wage increase, which ended up only being a five-cent raise after her employer reduced her shift differential by a quarter. With years of experience and a deep understanding of the value surgical techs bring to the table, she knew a nickel wasn’t going to cut it. So she and a coworker, Gail Miller, started organizing their colleagues at St. Joe's despite warnings that previous organizing efforts had failed.
Within a year, they helped Radiology, Respiratory Therapy, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, and other departments form the hospital’s first Technical Unit, which ratified its first contract in 1999.
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.