Northwest Administrators Administrative Employees and Computer Operators/Distribution - Bargaining Update

Our Bargaining Team met with Management this Monday, August 19 to begin exchanging economic proposals. We passed an initial proposal over to Management, got some verbal responses, and revised our proposals slightly.

After our second proposal, Management returned a very sparse one-page response to us just before the end of the day.

We hope to arrange Contract Action Team meetings between now and our next bargaining sessions. The purpose of these meetings will be to discuss with our coworkers how we might best organize to win the strongest contract we can. We will be inviting all of you to join this discussion.

Due to availability issues, Management was not able to schedule any further sessions with us until October. We are currently scheduled for October 3, 4, 16, and 18. We hope something else opens before then, that said.

Please update your contact information here >>

Bargaining Team: Chad Gronsky, Distribution; Sierra Cunningham, Payroll Audit; Grace Tsuchikawa, Health and Welfare; Karolin Lund, Accounting and Eligibility; Lulu Morgan, Pension; Iva Johnson, Contract Review (not pictured)

Northwest Administrators update on system outage

On May 13, many members at NW Administrators were dismissed from work early due to a system outage. UFCW 3000 is currently investigating the situation and has requested additional information from Management to determine the extent of the problem. While we wait for that information, it is important that you are aware of the following:

You are entitled to a minimum of 4 hours pay for any day on which you report to work and are dismissed early. If you were dismissed before completing 4 hours of work, you should be paid for a minimum of 4 hours.

Management cannot compel you to use annual leave to cover the time lost following dismissal. If you already put in for annual leave for the lost hours and would prefer to take the time as unpaid, you should inform your manager as soon as possible in writing of this decision.

Likewise, you cannot be compelled to work “make up” time later in the week as a result of this early dismissal. The contract allows for simple leave without pay in these situations, and the absence cannot be counted against you for attendance purposes. If you feel that Management is pressuring you to work additional hours, please contact your Rep Jack Crow at 206-436-6614.

Finally, it appears that some impacted union members were allowed to continue working on tasks which were not directly impacted by the outage. If you were dismissed despite notifying your Manager that there was available work which you could complete, please reach out to your rep so that we can assess the situation.

If you have questions, or have additional information you would like to share, please contact your Rep Jack Crow at 206-436-6614.

Northwest Administrators - Contract Ratified!

We’re excited to announce that members at Northwest Administrators overwhelmingly voted “YES” to ratify both the Administrative and Computer Operators contracts! The new contracts include:

• Supplemental Wage Payment (Bonus) equivalent to 50 hours of pay,

• 3.00% wage increase retroactively paid back to September 1, 2021,

• Significantly improved layoff and recall language ensuring that, when facing a layoff, employees shall be released by inverse seniority and then returned to work before hiring new employees.

• Strong protection against potential increases to the cost of healthcare,

• And more!

Please reach out to Union Rep Rhonda Fisher-Ivie @ (206) 436-6584 if you have any questions about the new contracts.

Northwest Administrators - Tentative Agreement Reached—Vote Scheduled

Your Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement with Management on new collective bargaining agreements for both units at Northwest Administrators. Your Bargaining Team unanimously recommends a “YES” vote!

This agreement includes:

• Supplemental Wage Payment (Bonus) equivalent to 50 hours of pay after ratification,

• Higher wage increases compared to our last vote retroactively paid back to September 1, 2021,

• Significantly improved layoff and recall language ensuring that, when facing a layoff, employees shall be released by inverse seniority and then returned to work before hiring new employees. 

• Strong protection against potential increases to the cost of healthcare,

• And more

The full details of the offer will be made available during our online vote meeting on Thursday October 21.

Northwest Administrators Online Meeting

Thursday October 21 

6:00PM

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

It’s extremely important that members attend the zoom meeting to get a full understanding of the employer’s offer and have your questions answered. However, voting will not take place at this meeting.

We will be voting online via “SimplyVoting” on Friday, October 22 from 6:00AM to 8:00PM. You will be receiving an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information. 

If you do not receive an email to vote on Friday October 22, then please reach out to Union Representative Rhonda Fisher-Ivie at (206) 436-6584 no later than 5PM on the day of the vote to provide an updated email address. 

Northwest Administrators Members vote NO

NW Administrators - Vote Scheduled

After over a year of negotiations with Northwest Administrators, Management has given the Union an offer to send to a vote. Despite significant process made in recent weeks, our Bargaining Team is recommending a “NO” vote. 

Healthcare is one of the primary reasons we cannot recommend this offer. The current cost of our healthcare plan to the Employer is $4.65/hr, and in their latest offer, the Employer is only willing to pay for increases up to $4.86/hr. Unfortunately, there is a good chance that healthcare costs will exceed the Employer’s cap, which means you’ll pay for the difference. 

This is frustrating since in 2019, the Employer absorbed a $0.21/hr savings on healthcare and now they are unwilling to protect their Employees from a possible increase? Our Bargaining Team could not recommend an offer that places so much liability onto employees, with a high chance of healthcare costs chipping away at our wages.

Our Bargaining Team have other concerns with the offer that will be shared during the online meeting next week. Show the Employer what you think about their offer by VOTING NO!

The full details of the offer will be made available during our online vote meeting on Wednesday, August 25.

It’s extremely important that members attend the Zoom meeting to get a full understanding of the employer’s offer and have your questions answered. However, voting will not take place at this meeting.

We will be voting online via “SimplyVoting” on Friday, August 27 from 6:00AM to 8:00PM. You will be receiving an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information. 

In order to vote, everyone needs to make sure their personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please visit  ufcw21.org/update-your-information. If you do not receive an email to vote on Friday, August 27, then please reach out to Union Representative Rhonda Fisher-Ivie at (206) 436-6584 no later than 5PM on the day of the vote to provide an updated email address. 

Northwest Administrators out of state — out of touch

Northwest Administrators out of state — out of touch

Your Bargaining Team met with management again on Friday, July 23. Unfortunately, we were not able to reach an agreement as management continues to demand that the Union accept 0.00% wage increases for 2020 and 2021.

Management’s proposal would leave us behind the out of this world cost-of-living, which has only been accelerated by historic inflation rates. For the subsequent years management is offering only a combined 3.5% wage increase by 2023.

Management has tried to use out-of-state agreements to justify their proposal while simultaneously rejecting the Union’s Seattle area market data, which shows how out of touch with reality management proposal is. We reminded the employer that we’re bargaining in Seattle and the Union is not interested in reviewing out-of-state data.

We are meeting with the employer next on August 13.

Northwest Administrators - Bargaining Update

Our Bargaining Team met with Management on June 29 for another day of mediation. 

While we don’t have a deal yet, we are pleased to report that we’ve won significant improvements to our seniority language. The Employer has agreed to change our layoff language so that an employee’s seniority will be the determining factor in layoff. This is significant because in the event of a layoff, long-term employees will be protected and the last to be affected by the layoff. 

We are also close to an agreement to add bumping language to our contract, which would allow long-term employees who are facing layoff to move into another position that they are qualified to perform the work. While we have no reason to believe layoffs are happening anytime soon, it’s great to have the peace of mind that we’ll be protected with this new language if it were to ever happen.

As for wages, the Employer did increase their wage proposal this session but not nearly enough to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of living. They are also not willing to pay retro-pay back to when our contract expired last year, however, our Bargaining Team has held firm on our demands for retro-pay. We have gone without a raise for over a year and deserve to be compensated for this time, we know the Employer can afford it.

Management is playing the same broken record on wages, and we’re not buying it. It’s time for them to come to the table with a fair offer so that we can reach a deal and more forward. We look forward meeting with them again soon. 

“We need to stick together to ensure we get a fair deal.”
-Northwest Administrators Bargaining Team

NW Administrators - Bargaining Update

Our Bargaining Team met with Management again on Wednesday, June 2 for not only our first day of mediation, but also the first time we’ve met since December 2020.

While we did see some movement on both sides of the table, Management only showed a willingness to make hairline movement on the issues that matter most. They did back off their proposal to reduce our retirement benefits, but their proposed wage increases and refusal to accept retro pay are completely unacceptable.

It’s time for Management to put away their coin purse and get out their wallet, rise out of the bargain basement and present something acceptable. We are not finding bargains at the grocery store or gas station, Management proposed wage increases are not even close to keeping up with the skyrocketing cost of living. We also need Management to offer a fair pension increase, investing in our future so that we can retire in dignity.

On the heels of a once in a lifetime pandemic, will Northwest Administrators step up and take care of their employees?

We are meeting with Management again on Tuesday, June 29 and are hoping that mediation will help build momentum towards a deal.

“We work hard everyday to seek improvements in our wages, retirement benefits, and working conditions to reflect our value to the company”

— NW Administrators Bargaining Team

What is mediation? When the Union and Employer have reached a point when little progress is being made, the parties have the option to bring in a neutral third-party mediator to help move things along. The federal government provides a free meditation service (FMCS) that works exclusively on Union-Employer disputes and has assigned a mediator to help us reach a deal with Management. The role of the mediator is to help the parties better understand the other’s point of view and to push both sides towards an agreement.

Northwest Administrators - Bargaining Update

After months of delay, we have finally confirmed our next bargaining date with management on June 2. This will be the first time we’re meeting with a federal mediator, which we hope will speed-up the process so that we can reach an agreement soon.  

During this time, we reached out to some of our community partners to ask for support in our fight for a fair contract. One leader who responded to our call for support was Rick Hicks, President of the Joint Council of Teamsters No. 28, who was appalled by management tactics at the bargaining table.

In a letter to Chris Hughes, Rick wrote “It has recently come to our attention that Northwest Administrators has presented to the two bargaining units represented by our sisters and brothers at UFCW Local 21 unacceptable proposals that would impact their members’ own retirement account… this is unacceptable!” He continued “the workers represented by UFCW Local 21 work hard for our Teamster members every day and we value their expertise managing the Health and Welfare and Pension plans of our membership.”

“We look forward to seeing the bargaining process move swiftly towards and acceptable settlement that values the work of your employees.”

Rick’s letter is significant because he is also Co-Chair of the Washington Teamsters Health & Welfare Trust and a Trustee on the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust. He has pledged to continue lending our bargaining team support until we win a fair contract, and for that we are eternally grateful. 

The bargaining team will meet this week to plan our next steps as we prepare for our first day of mediation next week. Please reach out to a bargaining team member or call Union Representative Rhonda Fisher-Ivie at (206) 436-6584 if you have any questions. 

BARGAINING TEAM: Chris Covey, Jennifer Harris, Iva Johnson, Katrina Kromm, Lulu Morgan, Grace Tsuchikawa

Northwest Administrators - Bah Humbug Union Members Get Scrooged by Management; Management Proposes Lumps of Coal in their Wage Package.

At the last bargaining session with Management, our Bargaining Team was presented with a wage proposal that was funded by our own retirement money.  While Management throughout the organization received a wage increase, they are asking us to pay our own raise by reducing what they pay for our retirement contribution by 5 cents. We continue to hear that Management needs a cost neutral first year of their proposal. 

Giving raises to Management is not cost neutral and expecting us to subsidize our own wage increase is Grinchful.

Stay tuned for upcoming events we can all participate in and ask one of your Bargaining Team members on how you can get involved in winning a fair contract. If you have any questions, please contact your Union Representative Cathy Macphail @ 206-436-6584.

“Management’s proposal to us is not acceptable and we will be bringing union members together via Zoom in the New Year!”

— Bargaining Team

BARGAINING TEAM: Chris Covey, Jennifer Harris, Iva Johnson, Katrina Kromm, Lulu Morgan, Grace Tsuchikawa

Northwest Administrators - Bargaining Continues: Waiting on Management’s Economic Counter

We are working on getting a Letter of Understanding during COVID and are encouraged to finalize it after next week’s bargaining session. We continue to be far apart on wage increases and will hopefully narrow that gap soon. Stay tuned for more information after our next bargaining session on November 20.

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Representative Cathy Macphail @ 206-436-6584.

“The Bargaining Team has common purpose, common sense and pursuing common ground. We continue to progress and make adjustments to our game plan. This is a season like no other. We need to see some numbers on the board. Our overall success requires your support then victory that can be celebrated collectively. Our goal is for a contract that provides wage increases for everyone.”

— Lulu Morgan

BARGAINING TEAM: Chris Covey, Jennifer Harris, Iva Johnson, Katrina Kromm, Lulu Morgan, Grace Tsuchikawa

Northwest Administrators - Preparing for Upcoming Contract Negotiations

NWA stands for No Wiggle Again on a wage increase in Management’s counter proposal on October 27.

Now We Are entering Influenza season during a pandemic and our prescription for a COVID-19 Letter of Understanding (LOU) has yet to be filled or considered urgent. Protecting Pandemic Employment is our PPE and a remedy is long over due. The protections we have proposed are on the front line of our negotiations.

It’s time for all of us to come together and talk about next steps to winning a good contract. Join us at our Zoom Contract Action Team (CAT) meeting and learn what everyone can do to move Management at the bargaining table. 

BARGAINING TEAM: Chris Covey, Jennifer Harris, Iva Johnson, Katrina Kromm, Lulu Morgan, Grace Tsuchikawa

Northwest Administrators - Management Proposes Lowball Offer; Bargaining Team Shocked by Management’s Proposal

NWA stands for No Wage Adjustment for two years, proposed by Management on October 13, 2020.

During a pandemic, we all continue to work as hard on the front line as we do from our homes.

Our work and our voice is valuable and essential to administer many vital benefits to our clients.

We recognize these truths to be self-evident and we await Management’s counter proposal.

The Bargaining Team will continue to fight for Union increases to wages/pension, COVID-19/Pandemic LOU protections , and proposing stronger contract language regarding protections for layoff, seniority rights and more. We are in this together, and together we can negotiate a better contract. We need your help so get involved! We are Calling All Troops to be a part of our Contract Action Team (CAT team).  

Please reach out to one of our Bargaining Team members or Adrian Noel, Union Representative on how to become more involved.

Next Bargaining Date: Oct 27

Northwest Administrators - Waiting on Management’s Economic Counter Proposal

We met with Management on September 29 and we were able to reach tentative agreements on telecommuting and adding an electronic copy of our Contract to NWA’s intranet once new software can be installed. We still are waiting on Management’s counter economic offer and response to COVID-19/Pandemic LOU. 

Our Bargaining Team continues to discuss our key issues of strengthening the layoff language and creating a process with the emphasis on seniority to maintain positions during a staff reduction.

Our next bargaining session is October 13, 2020. Please reach out to one of your Bargaining Team members or Adrian Noel, UFCW Local 21 Representative on how you can become more involved to ensure the best outcome to our contract.

Next Bargaining Date: Oct 13

Northwest Administrators - Bargaining Continues

Our Bargaining Team met with NWA Management on Tuesday, September 15 and presented our comprehensive proposal that includes strengthening the layoff language and an economic plan that addresses the rising cost of living in WA.

We look forward to Management’s response and discussing the COVID-19/pandemic Letter of Understanding at our next session.

Please check with your coworkers and make sure they are receiving these updates. Also encourage anyone not receiving updates to reach out to update their contact information.

Next Bargaining Date: Sept 29