Our Auburn Medical Center Professionals union Bargaining Team met with Management on Friday, August 2, ready to work hard, and get to an agreement on strong first union contract with MultiCare.
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BARGAINING TEAM: Pharmacist Brent Kirshenbaum, Social Worker Marci Pindi (standing in), and Mental Health Technician Ramona Strassburg
"While there's been some progress in negotiations, there's deep concern over Management's proposals to strip away existing benefits. Furthermore, it's troubling that Management is insisting bargaining committee members use their PTO for negotiations, a departure from the norm observed at other MultiCare bargaining tables." – Ramona Strassburg, Mental Health Technician.
Our Bargaining Team continues to negotiate with MultiCare Management and is pushing to hold on to existing benefits while securing union standards and improved working conditions. At this point:
MultiCare is holding on their proposal to take away of pay in lieu of benefits Employees who opt out of healthcare and PTO.
Management is not agreeable to our proposal to cover employment required vaccinations and testing for confirmed work exposures to TB and COVID - 19.
MultiCare is not agreeable to any proposal outlining a fair process for FTE reduction.
MultiCare Management has proposed to reduce PTO accrual rates for all salaried Employees.
MultiCare’s last proposal on February 7 included NO MOVEMENT on their prior proposal showing that they are not unwilling to compromise on many important issues.
Our Bargaining Team is working hard on behalf of coworkers and will continue to focus on the above issues as well as proposed economics. Other bargaining dates that have been confirmed include February 14; we will be requesting additional future bargaining dates from the Employer.
Being informed and standing together as a union demonstrates our collective strength. Our unified efforts and voices have the power to shape the future of MultiCare Auburn Medical Center.
Questions? Contact Union Rep Ian Jacobson at 360-409-0587.
Bargaining Team: Pharmacist Brent Kirshenbaum, Social Worker Brittany Owen, and Mental Health Technician Ramona Strassburg (stand-in)
“I am excited about being a part of the bargaining process and to advocate for my fellow healthcare professionals.”
—Brittany Owen, Social Worker
Your Union Bargaining Team has met with MultiCare a few times and exchanged proposals. Through their commitment to the process and advocacy for their coworkers, we have made some progress.
Contract language that has been tentatively agreed to include:
Status Review: a process for part-time employees to have a review of their FTE if continuously working over their assigned FTE.
Evaluations: requiring the employer to maintain a system which provides for employee evaluations on a probationary and annual basis.
Recall: a process the employer must follow to reinstate any employee who has been laid off.
Nondiscrimination: the absence or avoidance of discrimination, officially affirming a federal government policy of nondiscrimination in employment.
Important proposals we are still working on are:
Staffing: working to address critical issues related to staffing levels, workload, and patient care.
Floating: establishing fair guidelines and restrictions for floating to other facilities.
Preceptor: clarifying the role and responsibilities of preceptors within our workplace along with a market competitive premium.
Labor Management Committee: establishing a committee to give workers a voice after contract negotiations are over.
Our Bargaining Team is working on other issues and will continue to focus on the above issues as we reserve most economic proposals for later in the process. Other bargaining dates that have been confirmed include November 2 and 9; we will be requesting additional future bargaining dates from Management.
Throughout this negotiation process, we are committed to keeping you informed and engaged. We will schedule regular bargaining update meetings and disseminate important communications through multiple channels, including text and email.
Your engagement and involvement in this process are vital. Staying informed and standing together as a union demonstrates your collective strength. It’s important to remember that your unified efforts and voices have the power to shape the future of MultiCare Auburn Medical Center.
If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to discuss the negotiations further, please do not hesitate to reach out to your dedicated Union Representative Ian Jacobson at 206-436-6550.
Providence Everett RN, Pro & Tech
In January, Providence Everett Management proposed to reduce the February extra shift bonus (ESB) stating that the current bonus amounts are extremely costly which has resulted in going over budget. They also mentioned they want to align their ESB amounts to better match the lesser bonus amounts of other Providence hospitals.
We told Providence that we did not agree with their proposal and proposed we wait until mid-February to evaluate March bonus amounts for each unit. We believe reduced ESBs will result in less staff volunteering for extra shifts, which will increase caregivers’ workload and will lead to more burnout/resignations. If there is less staff, then there will be less caregivers to provide care. We are deeply concerned about the well-being of caregivers and the quality of care the community will receive if there is less staff.
We also asked Management on January 28 to provide information regarding vacancies, labor expenses on agency/travel staff, recruitment and retention plans, and monthly labor expenses since 2019. This information is needed to better understand their claims. We still have not received a response to our information request.
We are disappointed that Management has chosen to implement the reduced rates and will be asking them to reconsider their position for the sake of patient care and the well-being of UFCW 21 members.
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to your union representative, Anthony Cantu.
On February 2, 2022 Providence Everett professionals turned out in a big way for our online vote and approved a new contract through 3/1/25. The agreement includes robust across the board increases, many market adjustments, and improvements to step progression on the wage scales with NO TAKEAWAYS!
ED Crisis Counselors UNANIMOUSLY voted with 100% turnout to join the Professional contract! Welcome to our union!
Need to join UFCW? Fill out your membership application!
PRMCE Professionals Bargaining Team: Deb Anderson, Medical Lab; Sara Dillon, Case Management; Emily Conner, Nutrition
On January 19, 2022 our bargaining team reached a tentative agreement on our contract. This expedited bargaining process has been successful and resulted in big wins for the professionals without any takeaways.
The three-year agreement includes:
Significant across the board wage increases
Market adjustments for most classifications
Improvements to step progressions on the wage scales
Bonus upon ratification and one year later
Increases to education funds and tuition reimbursement
Improvements to grievance procedure
Improvements to Bereavement Leave
New language in case of department merger or restructure
New BSN pay provision
AND NO TAKEAWAYS!
“We feel like this contract acknowledges the hard work healthcare workers have put in through the pandemic. Management really stepped up throughout these negotiations to show appreciation for PRMCE professionals in this contract. We believe these gains will help with retention and recruitment, and we encourage everyone to vote YES.”
Our PRMCE Professionals Bargaining Team: Deb Anderson, Medical Lab; Sara Dillon, Case Management; Emily Conner, Nutrition
Full details of the contract offer will be available during the online vote on Wednesday, February 2 from 6AM - 8PM. You will receive an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information. All members in good standing are eligible to vote.
TO VOTE ONLINE, make sure your information is up to date! In order to vote on proposals, make sure your personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please update your email @ ufcw21/update-your-information.
If you do not receive an email to vote on Wednesday, February 2, please reach out to Union Representative Anthony Cantu at acantu@ufcw21.org or 206-436-6566 to provide an updated email address.
Have Questions?
Full details of the offer will be available at an online vote meeting Friday, January 28. Drop in from 10AM - 12PM and from 5:30PM - 7:30PM
Friday, January 28
10AM - 12PM • 5:30PM - 7:30PM
https://zoom.us/join
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also mailed and emailed out.
Our bargaining team met with management on Wednesday to receive a response to our economic proposals.
We’ve made progress on:
Market adjustments for many positions
Education development funds
Tuition Reimbursement
We expect more from management on:
Cost of living increases
Licensure pay
Weekend differential
Some outstanding market adjustments
Bonuses
We were also able to reach a tentative agreement on Bereavement Leave updating our contract to reflect PRMCE’s policy, allowing for additional leave for certain family members.
Be sure to sign the retention and appreciation petition!
“We’re encouraged by the progress we saw at the bargaining table today, but still need management to respect our key issues.”
Our PRMCE Professionals Bargaining Team: Deb Anderson, Medical Lab; Sara Dillon, Case Management; Emily Conner, Nutrition
For Immediate Release:
January 15, 2020
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421
“We showed that through unity, and a commitment to our patients and each other that we could win a fair contract that is better for patient care and safety, better for staffing and better for the future of our hospitals.”
*The changes are reflective of wins across our union’s Providence bargaining units. Specifics may vary by location.
The Tentative Agreement reached held the line on every one of the employer’s takeaways including:
NO cuts to our paid time off/sick leave that would have taken millions of dollars from years of our earned benefits
ONLY accepting the new leave system after significant improvements and where it benefits us—at Holy Family and St. Mary’s
NO changes to our health care
We fought for and won:
Improved safety standards for workers so we can be safe at work
Improved staffing levels so we can take care of our patients with enough co-workers on shift
Significant wage increases for every scale so we can better recruit and retain high quality staff at all our hospitals
Ratification bonus payments
Many market adjustments and increases to premiums to make sure we are fairly compensated and our workplaces remain competitive
Better language in our contract to increase our power as unionized workers so we can stand up to Providence in the future and push back against their attempts to intimidate
Lines up contract expirations in a way that will allow us to take action together in greater numbers in the next round of negotiations
Now the time has come for members at each location to vote. At their vote meeting, members will review the full details of the proposed new contract, get questions answered and vote.
DATE: 01/21/20
TIMES: 6:00am – 9:00am, 11:00am – 2:00pm, 5:00pm – 9:00pm
LOCATION: Colby Campus Olympic, Conference Room, 1700 13th St, Everett, WA 98201
DATE: 01/21/20
TIMES: 6:00am – 9:00am, 11:00am – 2:00pm
LOCATION: Everett Labor Temple Room 106, 2810 Lombard Ave Everett, WA 98201
DATE: 01/22/20
TIMES: 6:00am – 9:00am, 11:00am – 2:00pm, 5:00pm – 9:00pm
LOCATION: Koreski Conference Room 914, S Scheuber Rd, Centralia, WA 98531
DATE: 01/23/20
TIMES: 6:00am – 9:00am, 11:00am – 2:00pm, 5:00pm – 9:00pm
LOCATION: Nisqually Conference Room, 413 Lilly Rd NE, Olympia, WA 98506
DATE: 01/23/20
TIME: 5:30pm – 8:30pm
LOCATION: Mother Joseph Room A & B, 401 W Poplar St, Walla Walla, WA 99362
DATE: 01/24/20
TIME: 11:00am – 2:00pm, 4:00pm-6:00pm
LOCATION: Mother Joseph Room A & B, 401 W Poplar St, Walla Walla, WA 99362
BACKGROUND:
We started out as nine different negotiations across our one union. For months we got essentially nowhere and we were suffering from an increasing number of Unfair Labor Practices. Then we started to turn that around. We coordinated actions across our union, took strike authorization votes and developed a Unity commitment with SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW and WSNA. We worked together and ramped up the pressure on Providence to change. They still didn’t move. And then just hours before we collectively would have issued our 10-day notices to strike, we had a breakthrough. Together. This was followed by around the clock negotiations and ongoing unity that resulted in historic Tentative Agreements being reached across all of our bargaining units. We did it together. We remain committed to supporting SEIU healthcare 1199 NW until they reach a Tentative Agreement. And we are committed to keeping up with this collective spirit to enforce our contracts and negotiate together again in years ahead.
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.
