MultiCare Capital Medical Center Professionals - Bargaining Update Session #7

February 18

Bargaining felt flat. We waited until 10:30am for the Employer to show so we could get them the proposal we'd worked on at our previous session—only to learn that their finance team wouldn't be present, so we couldn't get a response on economics from them. This has been the second time in a row that the Employer could not be there for bargaining or did not have the appropriate mix of people to give full responses to our proposals. Additionally, the Employer left mid-afternoon (which has happened before) despite us working to provide a list of topics we wanted to focus on in the next round of proposals. We had these dates scheduled far in advance and would appreciate more notice as issues arise.

That being said, we presented our counterproposals in the morning and then spent the rest of the day comparing and contrasting our proposals, the Employer's proposals, and the existing Capital Medical Center union contracts to get a thorough analysis of how to move toward mutual agreement on our contract language.

At our last session, we started rolling out strike pledge cards and by the end of the day we had the majority of members signed up.

Our next bargaining dates are March 2 and March 30.

What Workers Are Saying

"Bargaining is adults and Professionals coming to the table to work it out together."

— Roger

"We need action, we are spinning our wheels waiting for the Employer to get to work."

— Tammy

"Remember the MultiCare values, particularly, kindness, respect and collaboration. Also, do not forget about joy."

— Kimberly

MultiCare has over time made us feel like second class citizens, we are forming a union so we can be equal to everyone else!

Contract Action Team Meeting

March 5 @ 7pm and every two weeks after!

MultiCare Capital Medical Center Professionals - Bargaining Update Session #6—February 5

Our team was informed at 7:20am that the Employer negotiator was sick. However, the Employer provided us with a proposal early in the morning that allowed us to work throughout the day. We were able to compile a response that we will be ready to present to the Employer at our next session on February 18.

In the meantime, our team is working on preparing strike pledge cards for all of us to sign! While a strike pledge card is not binding (that would require a vote of the entire bargaining unit), it is a great sign to the Employer of our seriousness. It indicates that we are ready to escalate our fight to get a fair contract. The pledge cards will be sent out shortly, and we encourage all of you to sign and show our solidarity!

As this campaign is moving along, we feel like scheduling regular Contract Action Team meetings to keep everyone informed. The cadence of these meetings will be every two weeks, and the next one is scheduled for February 19 from 7pm to 8pm. Please join us!

Bargaining Team: Amy Myrtue Nelson, Kimberly Vetter, Sela Smith, Tammy Taylor, Callie Hills (not pictured)

Providence St. Peter Hospital Professionals - Bargaining Update

On Tuesday, November 4, our Professionals Bargaining Team met with management for the seventh session of union contract negotiations.

At Wednesday's session, we continued the productive exchange of the remaining sections of our contract, reaching a handful of new agreements including language around Per Diem workers (more specifically regarding the wage differential in lieu of retirement and health care benefits), increased job protections for workers facing layoffs or workforce reductions, outlining the order in which workers will be placed on low census, and we even reached agreement on a handful of position's wages!

While progress was significant for a number of newly represented positions at PSPH, there were also a couple of positions whose Employer-proposed rates we strongly felt did not meet the wages that nearby Union professionals are earning. As such, our team continued to hold firm that Providence increase these scales to reduce staffing shortages and to meet the demand of the highly competitive market. As such, our team felt that it was beneficial to provide management with the wage scales we're referencing to inform our position. While we did not receive management's response to our proposal before negotiations concluded for the day, we are dedicated to making sure all Professionals at Providence St. Peter Hospital are paid fairly for the lifesaving work we perform every day.

We're looking forward to hearing back from Providence on Monday, November 10—when we are scheduled to be back at the table!

If you have questions about ongoing first contract negotiations, please reach out to a member of our Union Bargaining Team or call our Union Rep Madison Derksema at (206) 436-6603.

Bargaining Team: Rita Palmquist, Case Manager MSW; Elise Steinmetz, Physical Therapist; Sydney Lobdell, Dietitian; Kristine Pepper, Clinical Pharmacist; Brenda Arend, Speech Language Pathologist; Diana Herr, Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist

PRMCE Professionals - CONTRACT RATIFIED!

On Tuesday, July 15, healthcare professional workers at PRMCE overwhelmingly ratified our 2025 union contract following a morning of highly attended vote meetings. Our bargaining team is proud of the work we accomplished at the table—and proud to share this win with all of our coworkers.

What's Next?

• Finalizing the Contract: Our union and Providence will now work to finalize and sign the new agreement. Once completed, printed copies will be distributed throughout the medical center.

• Access in the Meantime: Redlined versions of the fully ratified Agreement (including updated language articles and wage scales) will be uploaded to our union's website so we can review and enforce our new contract in the meantime.

• Wage Increases: Our new wages will go into effect two full pay periods following ratification (July 15).

If you have any questions about our new union contract, please reach out to our Union Rep Bruce Le at (206) 436-6614, or contact a member of our bargaining team!

Bargaining Team: Taylor Widener, Sr. Dietician; Holly Gramse, Physical Therapist; Sara Dillon, Sr. Discharge Planner (Case Manager)

Organize, organize, organize: Know a worker who wants to join a union? Send them here.
 

PRMCE Pro - Professionals' Wages: Progress Made, But Not Enough...

On June 16 & 17, our union bargaining team representing the Professional workers at Prov. Everett met with management for two full days of back-to-back contract negotiations: marking our sixth and seventh sessions in this contract cycle.

On Monday, Providence presented its first official counter to our wage scale proposal. While their offer still falls short of what workers at nearby medical centers are earning, our team noted significant movement towards changes to our wage scale structure that our team highlighted in our initial proposal, back on May 5, for instance, Providence's proposal:

• Eliminates all ghost steps in the wage scale

• Raises the step increases between each level on the wage scale and reduces the number of steps on our scale- with no loss of overall wage growth (which results in more money, sooner!)

While this was a meaningful first step, a closer look at the proposed rates confirmed there is more work ahead. Our bargaining team got to work immediately, drafting a new wage scale counter, which we returned to Providence the morning of Tuesday, June 17—holding strong to our position that the Professional workers at PRMCE shouldn't earn lower wages than surrounding Medical Centers bargained with their union three years ago...

Tuesday the 17: Building Momentum

Following our second wage scale proposal, our team noted a shift in the momentum at the table from the Employer- and the next few proposal exchanges brought positive movement from Providence, and even resulted in agreements on several important items, including:

• An increase to the premium in-lieu-of benefits for Per Diem employees and Professionals with an FTE of less than .49 at PRMCE

• A new Inclement Weather Article, outlining a clear process for approved time off when weather prevents safe travel to the Medical Center

• Expanded Bereavement Leave protections, providing more flexibility for time to grieve and heal—including extending these benefits to Per Diem employees

On the afternoon of Tuesday the 17th, Providence returned to the table with their second wage scale proposal, which included increased rates of pay compared to their initial offer. While this movement was a positive sign, our bargaining team noted that the proposed wages would still leave us trailing behind our largest competitor—a gap that must be closed.

This is shaping up to be a critical moment for Union Professionals at Providence Everett, that this is going to take all our collective strength, unity, and solidarity to push Providence to offer the wages we rightfully deserve. If you haven't yet signed our Strike Pledge Card, take a moment now to add your name before our next-scheduled bargaining day on June 30, and mark your calendar to attend our next Contract Action Team meeting:

"This week showed real movement from Providence—but their wages still aren't cutting it. The fight's not over, and it's going to take all of us standing together to win what we're worth."

— Sara Dillon, Sr. Discharge Planner (Case Manager)

Bargaining Team: Taylor Widener, Sr. Dietician; Holly Gramse, Physical Therapist; Sara Dillon, Sr. Discharge Planner (Case Manager)

CAT Meeting

June 25, Wednesday at 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM 
2810 Lombard Ave
Everett WA 98201 

Sign the strike pledge card: We need to show Providence we're ready to do what it takes to get what we deserve. Sign the strike pledge card or ask a fellow member to sign it if they haven't already.

Step up! We need department leaders to keep members engaged in the fight >>

Organize, organize, organize: Know a worker who wants to join a union? Send them here >>

PRMCE Professionals - Bargaining Update — Wage Scale Overhaul Begins

On Monday, May 5, our union bargaining team representing the Professionals at Providence Everett returned to the table for our fourth session of contract negotiations with management.

Over the past several weeks, we've laid the foundation for these negotiations by presenting strong non-economic proposals focused on safety, equal opportunity, and critical workplace protections. At our most recent session prior to this one—April 8—we began the shift toward economic issues by introducing proposals related to wage premiums and differentials.

This week, we took a major step forward: our team presented Providence with our initial proposal on compensation and wage scales—a key priority for Professional workers across Providence Everett.

From the early stages of this process—dating back to our contract audit on January 8—it's been clear that our wage scale needs serious improvement, and we identified several high priorities:

• "Ghost steps": years of service with no pay increase

• Low progression between steps, often just 1.75% increase for each step

• Overall wage rates that fall below regional standards for comparable Professional roles—and fail to reflect the value of the skilled, life-saving work we do every day

Taking all of this into consideration, we delivered a comprehensive, forward-thinking proposal designed to correct these inequities, which includes:

• Clearer standards for recognizing prior relevant experience, ensuring new hires and current employees are fairly placed on the wage scale

• A restructured wage scale that removes all ghost steps, increases the percentage between steps (so members progress faster), and shortens the overall length of the scale—helping us reach top pay sooner

Management listened to our presentation and took the proposal under review. While they have not yet offered counters, we made it clear that our approach is both transparent and data-driven. We walked through the rationale behind each of our structural changes, because we believe there should be no mystery in our demands: we are calling for fair compensation.

Contract Action Team Meeting

May 14
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Teamsters Local 38 Union Hall

• 2601 Everett Ave

• Everett, WA 98201

"We are proud of the work we did to build a strong, evidence-based proposal. We feel like it represents the priorities of our coworkers, and the reality that our pay here is just too low... we're looking forward to keeping up the conversation and ensuring that we earn what we deserve!"

— Taylor Widener, Dietitian

Your bargaining team:

• Taylor Widener, Senior Dietitian

• Holly Gramse, Physical Therapist

• Sara Dillon, Senior Discharge Planner (Case Manager)

Take Action

• Sign the strike pledge card: Show Providence we're ready to do what it takes to get what we deserve. Sign the strike pledge card or ask a fellow member to sign it if they haven't already.

• Leaders in Action: "How to Strike and Win"
  May 31
  10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  Labor Temple
  Register here

• Step up! We need department leaders to keep members engaged in the fight >>

• Organize: Know a worker who wants to join a union? Send them here >>

• Update your contact information: Click here >>

MultiCare Auburn Medical Center Professionals - FIRST CONTRACT RATIFIED!

On Tuesday, December 10, following a series of well-attended vote meetings, our MultiCare AMC Professionals bargaining team are overjoyed to announce that our first ever union contract has been ratified!

This journey started before negotiations, and before winning our union election in the summer of 2023; through perseverance, dedication, and solidarity, we have transformed MultiCare Auburn Medical Center and are now proudly UNION REPRESENTED PROFESSIONALS!

So what are the next steps?

While we are awaiting the roll-out of our experience-audit forms from MultiCare, the Employer and our Union will review and format the new contract. Once finalized, it will be made available online & distributed throughout the hospital.

In the meantime, you can view vote materials on UFCW 3000's website:

View Contract Materials >>

Reach out to our Union Representative Ian Jacobson if you have questions about the contract, wages, or need union representation!