Sumitra (Sam)Zoller is a Health Unit Coordinator/Certified Nursing Assistant at Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco Washington. She has been a loyal employee and has been with the organization for over 15 years and helped organize the union in 2020/2021 and then served on the first contract bargaining committee.
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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.
What can you do to support fellow workers organizing their union? UFCW 3000 member and podcast host Michaela speaks with fellow UFCW 3000 member and health care worker Alison about supporting other workers when they want to organize a union, even if they’re in another state—and especially if they work for your same employer. Bonus intro chat with UFCW 3000 organizer Emma about what’s so fun about organizing.
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.
Early Supports union members with UFCW 3000 bargained yesterday with local nonprofit employer Northwest Center (NWC), and the Early Learning workers at NWC who recently organized with SEIU 925 are standing in support and solidarity for a fair contract!
Workers at Northwest Center, whose “Big Blue Trucks” have been seen around the Northwest for more than 50 years, offer therapy, early education, employment services, and advocacy opportunities for people of all ages with disabilities. At Northwest Center Kids, Early Supports workers provide birth to three therapy services, and Early Learning workers run two inclusive childcare centers in Seattle. In both departments, organizing a union is about more than wages and benefits—it’s also about ensuring the best possible environment for all kiddos and clients.
– UFCW 3000 Bargaining Team: Jenica Barrett, Speech Language Pathologist; Cassie Villarreal, Speech Language Pathologist; Kimmy Burns, Physical Therapist; Julia Szilard, Physical Therapist
NWC Early Supports became the first agency of its kind in Washington State to unionize, and one of the first in the country. Since few workplaces like theirs are unionized, these new members—physical therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, infant mental health therapists, family resource coordinators, dietitians, special educators, and administrative staff—are excited to help set historic workplace standards. The early childhood educators, custodians, kitchen staff, and specialists at NWC Early Learning just won their union this month, and can’t wait to get started on the process of coming together to bargain with the employer for their contract as well.
Working together, our two unions comprise more than 67,000 workers across the region, with members in early learning, health care, nonprofits, education, and many other industries. We bring the experience, solidarity, and power of all our members to the bargaining table and look forward to working together for equitable contracts at NWC!
MFused workers posted their win to social media
We are excited to announce that workers at Mfused have won their union election to become a part of UFCW Local 3000! This is the first cannabis processor/producer in Washington State to have its workers go union! Mfused cannabis oil cartridges are sold in most dispensaries across the state. The workers do just about everything at Mfused; lab work, production, delivery driving, and marketing! Stay tuned as the workers and our bargaining staff start the process of bargaining their first union contract. Congratulations!
Our fellow coffee and food workers at Starbucks stores across the country have been organizing for change at work, including forming Starbucks unions, and UFCW 3000 members have been taking action alongside them here in our area. This weekend, Starbucks Workers United are asking allies to join "Sip-In" actions on Sunday and Monday, by visiting specific Starbucks locations at certain times and showing support for the organizing effort. We encourage any UFCW 3000 members to join in solidarity if you can.
More information about these actions is in the flyer and below, and further Starbucks solidarity actions are planned for later this month, on Tuesday September 13. Find that 9/13 event information on our events calendar >>.
When workers are organizing, especially in our region or industries, we stand with them because we know that it takes a powerful, united movement of working people to make real change. And during our contract negotiations and workplace actions, other workers, unions, and community groups stand with us.
Want to get more involved in supporting organizing efforts at Starbucks? Sign the "No Contract, No Coffee" pledge, or get in touch with your Union Rep about ways our union is supporting these workers.
11am: Broadway & Denny Sip-In
101 Broadway E, Seattle
Noon: University Way Sip-In
4147 University Way NE, Seattle
10am: Holman Road Sip-In
9999 Holman Rd NW, Seattle
2pm: Reserve Roastery Sip-In
1124 Pike St, Seattle
Order simple drinks! Avoid Frappuccinos, Refreshers, or anything with cold foam (or just get a water if you don't want to give Howard Schultz your money)
Give your name as: "Union Strong," "Workers Rights," "Solidarity," etc. (if you use the Starbucks app, change your name in the app, as it puts your name in automatically)
Leave thank-you notes and words of encouragement on community boards. Tell workers how inspiring they are!
Encourage customers to tip
Sign the "No Contract, No Coffee" pledge
For Immediate Release: September 29, 2001, 4:30 PM PST
Contact: Tom Geiger, Special Projects Director, UFCW 21, 206-604-3421
In the early stages of the COVID pandemic, in the late spring of 2020, two Amazon workers, Emily Cunnigham and Maren Costa, were fired from their jobs at Amazon. They were told it was due, in essence, to a violation of policies. They however believed it was in response to, and in retaliation for their protected and concerted activities in support of Amazon’s warehouse workers. These two workers approached UFCW 21 to request assistance in filing an Unfair Labor Charge against Amazon. After consideration, that case was filed by UFCW 21 and the local Union assigned the case to our legal counsel.
One aspect of the National Labor Relations Act is that it protects workers’ concerted and collective action – regardless of whether that worker is in a union. The law also allows a union to file a case on behalf of non-represented workers if those workers seek that representation. That is what happened in this case.
The Settlement Agreement on Case No 19-CA-266977 was reached earlier this afternoon. The Settlement includes a requirement that Amazon make a posting notifying Tech and Warehouse workers of the settlement notice and that they have the right under the law to express themselves in collective and concerted activity. This posting is required to be done nationwide. Amazon must also document their compliance with the Posting Notice and then provide evidence of that documentation of compliance directly to UFCW 21.
“Being able to assist not-yet-unionized workers who were acting in accordance with the law and who were fired has been an honor and responsibility we took very seriously. We felt that the workers had a strong case from the beginning and we want to encourage all workers to speak out in a collective and constructive way to improve their workplaces if they so choose,” said Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 21.
UFCW 21 is a strong believer in workers’ voices being heard. As such, we would request that all requests for interviews go to Emily and Maren and not to our attorney or staff. These workers can and will speak for themselves.
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UFCW 21 represents over 46,000 workers in grocery stores, health care, retail and other industries across Washington State.
UFCW 21 has a strong record of organizing new members by the thousands - more than 11,500 workers have joined our union in the last 10 years. Learn more about forming a union or contact an organizer! >>
DeLaurenti has been serving Seattle for more than 75 years, including as a pick-up and delivery grocer throughout the COVID pandemic. The shop attracts highly skilled employees with specialized knowledge of the products that we sell and prepare. Our staff includes baristas; wine, cheese, and charcuterie experts; those who cook and serve the prepared food in our deli; and more. Over the last year and a half, we have kept the legacy of this local institution alive during a worldwide pandemic, delivering groceries and specialty items to customers across the city and country and serving the market community through a very difficult season.
We seek to unionize out of a sense of pride and respect, both for the work we have put in over the past year and for the special place that DeLaurenti holds in the Pike Place Market community. For us to create the best version of DeLaurenti, we know that the people who prepare, handle, and sell the beautiful food it carries should be protected, respected, and have a say in our working conditions.
We want our expertise to be recognized—both in the form of higher wages and benefits, and in our involvement in decision-making processes. With more comprehensive training, a safer work environment, and more employee input into store decisions, we hope to make DeLaurenti even better for our customers and our community as well as for each other.
DeLaurenti Food & Wine can be found on the southwest corner of First Avenue & Pike Street in Seattle.
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.
